Interview with architect Benedetta Tagliabue

Podcasts By The Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament

Government

4.8 • 25 Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

As part of the launch of an exhibition on the Scottish Parliament building, internationally renown architect and co-founder of EMBT, Benedetta Tagliabue, chats to us about her work. She oversaw the completion of the Parliament project after the untimely death of her partner, lead architect Enric Miralles, during construction. She discusses the history of the project, the inspiration behind elements of the design, and what can be found in the exhibition.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Can I ask first of all for you to just introduce yourself?
0:03.0	I am Benedetta Taggabouet. I'm architect with practice in Barcelona.
0:08.0	What brings you to Edinburgh today?
0:11.0	I'm here because I was asked to design an exhibition about the making of the Scottish Parliament.
0:19.0	So I'm very happy 20 years after to be here again.
0:23.5	It must be quite something to be in the building again. Can you take us back to the very
0:29.9	beginning of the project? What was it like when you were awarded the ability to make the new Scottish Parliament. What was a reaction and
0:40.6	what happened next after you perceived that news? Actually, it was a very demanding competition
0:47.4	because best architects in the world were participating. And we were going from a selection of
0:53.3	20 to a selection of 10 to a selection of 5. And we were going from a selection of 20 to a selection of 10 to a selection
0:56.4	of five. And then the fight was very, very incredible. And when we were awarded the first
1:03.2	prize, we got very enthusiastic, very happy. We knew that this would be an incredible building. And I remember Eric saying
1:14.5	at the very comments of the announcement saying, well, I think you've done, you've done,
1:22.4	you've done the best choice. In a way, we had this feeling that we could make the best possible building in the
1:32.2	world.
1:33.5	What was your relationship to Edinburgh and Unrique's as well? I believe he was here earlier
1:41.8	on in his life studying English, but can you just paint that picture maybe beyond
1:46.7	just that part, what Edinburgh meant to both of you maybe before that competition?
1:53.1	You know, Eric brought me here, I think it was 91 or 92. It was the first time for me to see
1:59.5	Edinburgh, and he was like an expert on this city.
2:03.6	And he was really wishing to explain me the city of Edinburgh and he was saying, oh, you
2:08.6	see, I was studying here when I was 19.
	...

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