Scotland + Venice

What if…?/Dundee – what happened next?

A group of people standing in a square in front of a low rise building

Citizens of Dundee working with Architects for What if…?/Scotland (Image by Lydia Smith)

Dundee did not appear on the original list of five geographical targets for the ‘What If…?/Scotland’ project. However, when the decision was taken to exhibit the results at the V&A Dundee (instead of the Venice Architecture Biennale, which had been the original, pre-covid, plan), the city was added as a sixth location. Read more

What if…?/Paisley – What happened next?

A group of 11 people stand in a line in front of a concrete building. The person on the left is in a wheelchair

The group of citizens, designers and architects who worked together in Paisley to explore how we will live today as part of as part of What if…?/Scotland. Image Courtesy of 7N

When the ‘What If…’ project arrived in Paisley, many of the conversations between citizens and architects focussed on the theme of gathering. “It’s very much in the DNA of the place to assemble,” says Stuart McMillan, Regeneration and Place Manager, Economy and Development, with Renfrewshire Council. Read more

What if…?/Annan – what happened next?

A group of people walk in a street holding pieces of paper. There is a red and black poster on a brick wall with the words Che Burns.

Annan Research (Photo by Bash Art Creative) including work of Beautiful Materials.

A LOT of water has passed down the river Annan since the Dumfriesshire town it gave its name to was a hub of Victorian commerce. Now, the relics of a more prosperous past can feel like a burden to a community thinking about regeneration. Read more

What if…?/Wester Hailes – what happened next?

Two people sit at a table sketching on a large piece of paper. There is a person with a video camera in the background, and a large map pinned to the wall.

Eunice Main, Wester Hailes and Ian Gilzean, Scotland’s Chief Architect, worked together in early 2020 to add their hopes, wishes and ideas for Wester Hailes to What if…?/Scotland (Image by 7N Architects)

WHEN the citizens of Wester Hailes were asked about their wishes for their community in ‘What If…? Scotland’, discussions frequently came back to the same building, a derelict petrol station opposite the main shopping centre. Read more

Reflections on What if …?/Scotland

A man holds a post card standing in a "cloud" of white cards suspended from strings in a dark room.

Eoin Maguire explores the Cloud of Dreams at V&A Dundee. Photo by Neil Hanna photography.

When the 2020 International Architecture Exhibition, Venice Biennale was postponed until 2021, projects around the world were forced to go back to the drawing board, Susan Mansfield writes. In Scotland, the Scotland + Venice Partnership had commissioned the ‘What If…? Read more

Inviting communities to think big

An illustrative image showing a close up of white postcards with handwritten notes with the words I wish written on a dark wall in the background

Credit: Alan Richardson.

This article by Ewan Anderson, 7N Architects, was originally published in Scotland on Sunday, 12 May 2021. Every two years, architects from countries all over the world exhibit thought-provoking ideas at the Venice Architecture Biennale, and it was a great honour for my practice, 7N Architects, to be commissioned by the Scotland + Venice partnership to represent Scotland in the latest edition of this global festival. Read more

The civic role of architecture

A close up picture of a hand holding an orange pencil writing on a card. There is also a card with the words I Wish printed on the front.

At the opening of What if...?/Scotland on 21 May, President of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Christina Gaiger gave these remarks, reflecting on the civic role of architecture and Scotland's architecture on the global stage. I'd like to start off today by talking a little bit about the international recognition of Scottish architecture. Read more

One Year On: How has the pandemic changed the way we look at our places?

Citizens of Dundee working with Architects for What if…?/Scotland (Image by Lydia Smith)

In this blog Jim MacDonald, Chief Executive, Architecture and Design Scotland reflects on how our places have changed during a year of lockdown and adaptation. I think it’s fair to say, the Covid-19 pandemic has been the biggest shock to our systems in generations, and despite the vaccine and an easing of lockdown, it is set to have a lasting impact on our lives. Read more

Reflections on The Happenstance

During the opening week of The  Happenstance, lead artist Peter McCaughey, of WAVEparticle, recorded his impressions in short blogs. Here are some of his reflections from the opening week of The Happenstance (May 2018). Read more