Scots architects make their mark

Christopher Galloway

The Saviour’s Tower (1626) - Moscow, Russia

Tsar Mikhail entrusted a little-known Scottish clock-maker/architect, Christopher Galloway, with the task of designing a new gateway to the Kremlin , a potent symbol for Muscovites.

Sir William Chambers

The Casino (1775) - Marino, Ireland

Chambers quickly established himself as the principal rival to Robert Adam. As a concentrated essay in stone, the Casino uses classical motifs and archaeological precedent to create an architectural gem.

Charles Cameron

The Cameron Gallery (1785) - St Petersburg, Russia

Catherine the Great invited Charles Cameron to extend and embellish her palace south of St Petersburg. The Cameron Gallery is perhaps the most celebrated of his commissions.

Robert Adam

Quinta da Boa Vista (1815) - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Adam is probably Scotland’s most prolific architect. The Portuguese Prince Regent commissioned an entrance screen in Adam’s style for his Brazilian estate 15 years after the architect’s death.

Alexander Macleay

Elizabeth Bay House (1845) - Sydney, Australia

Macleay’s house was known as "the finest house in the colony". , His achievement of an "Ideal Villa" has endured and is acknowledged as an antipodean landmark.

Sir Robert Matthew

The Royal Festival Hall (1951) - London, England

Helped by the impact of the Festival of Britain in 1951, Robert Matthew made his mark with prominent new buildings such as London’s Royal Festival Hall.

Basil Spence

The British Embassy (1971) - Rome, Italy

Spence’s muted modernity found popular support, but a number of his later projects courted controversy, most notably the Chancellory of the British Embassy in Rome.

James Stirling

Neue Staatsgalerie (1984) - Stuttgart, Germany

One of the 20th century’s most skilled architects, Stirling’s best building is the Neue Staatsgalerie, which addresses urbanity, monumentality, historical allusions and the citizen’s role.

James Gibson (DCM)

Australian Embassy (1990) - Tokyo, Japan

James Gibson combines commercial success with an artistic eye, and the Australian government appointed his firm DCM to design embassies in Beijing and Tokyo to help bolster their influence amongst the Pacific Rim.

Ian Tyndall

Dream Bay Resort (1999) - Taiwan

Allan Murray Architects were commissioned to produce a unique design for a resort on the island of Penghu. The design is derived from the sequence of courtyards traditionally found in oriental architecture, most notably Beijing’s Forbidden Palace.

Thursday, 13th September 2001
The Scotsman