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Monday 9am - 4:30pm Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm Thursday 9am - 4:30pm Friday 9am - 4:30pm

Architecture and Design Scotland - A&DS

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Architecture and Design Scotland - A&DS

Our vision is a Scotland where the power of design improves lives.

Architecture and Design Scotland is Scotland’s national champion for the design of the built environment. As a public body, we support those who plan, fund, and use Scotland’s buildings and places, helping them work together to shape their future. As Scotland’s design champion, we promote the value of good design and provide people-centred, climate conscious advice on buildings, spaces, and places in Scotland.

27/10/2026

Meet our second speaker from Arup for the upcoming Demystifying AI in Architectural Design event.

Pei-Chin is a Senior Designer in Arup's Host Cities team and a cross-disciplinary integrator who connects design, digital workflows, and AI to improve collaboration and decision-making across complex built-environment projects.

With over a decade of international experience in architecture, urban design, masterplanning, and computational design, they help multidisciplinary teams adopt emerging technologies and data-driven workflows while supporting research, teaching, and knowledge sharing on the future of design practice.

More about the event 👉 https://bit.ly/3TUXIqZ

27/10/2026

Meet our two speakers from Arup for the upcoming Demystifying AI in Architecturel Design event.

First up is Kathryn Firth, an architect and urban designer whose passion for creating thriving places spans 35 years. She leads and reviews masterplanning and urban design projects across the UK, US, Europe, and the Middle East, ranging from public realm improvements to large-scale regeneration projects.

Kathryn was a Director of Masterplanning & Urban Design at Arup, where she continues to consult. She was the Chief of Design at the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), where she directed architects, landscape architects, planners and engineers to realise the Olympic Legacy.

Kathryn sits on, and chairs Design Review Panels, is co-chair for the ULI UK Infrastructure & Development Council, a trustee of The London Society and an Independent Member of the Oxford Street Planning Committee. She is active with Architects Declare, served on BusinessLDN Place Commission, and is a Mayor’s Design Advocate alum. Kathryn is committed to the exchange between practice and academia. She teaches at The Bartlett and Central Saint Martin's.

More about the event 👉 https://bit.ly/3TUXIqZ

26/10/2026

Meet our second speaker from UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment for the upcoming Demystifying AI in Architectural Design event.

Bahar Durmaz-Drinkwater is an urban design specialist and academic with experience across education, practice, and research. She currently teaches urban design at several universities including University College of London and London South Bank University. Alongside teaching, she leads and collaborates on practice-based research projects both individually and also collaborating with academic institutions and design practices.

Her work explores how cities evolve, socially, spatially, and culturally, with recent projects including a study on the role of Artificial Intelligence in urban design, developed in partnership with UCL and Arup, and the Soho Visual Heritage Audit, an urban conservation initiative delivered in collaboration with Westminster Council, Soho Neighbourhood Forum, and Publica, an urban design and research practice.

She has taught architecture and urban design in both Turkey and England, working in a range of roles including design tutor, lecturer, assistant professor, and department head. Bahar holds a PhD in Architecture and the Built Environment from the University of Nottingham, where she explored the creative landscapes of Soho and Beyoğlu in İstanbul. She has since carried out further studies documenting Soho’s urban change.

More about the event 👉 https://bit.ly/3TUXIqZ

26/10/2026

Meet our two speakers from UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment for the upcoming Demystifying AI in Architectural Design event.

First up is Juliana Martins, a Professor (Teaching) of Urban Design and Planning at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (UCL), where she is the Programme Director for the MPlan City Planning. Her recent work focuses on the opportunities, challenges, and implications of artificial intelligence for urban design and planning practice and education. More broadly, her research and teaching explore urban design, planning education and pedagogy, and the urban characteristics of creative clusters. She is actively engaged in the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP), where she co-leads the AI in Planning Task Force, co-coordinates the Thematic Group on Planning Education, and serves on the Excellence in Education Board.

Before joining UCL, Juliana worked as an architect, urban designer, and policy adviser in both the public and private sectors in London and Lisbon. This professional experience continues to inform her teaching, research, and engagement with design and planning practice.

Juliana holds a degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture, Technical University of Lisbon, an MA in Housing and Urbanism from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, and a PhD in Planning Studies from the Bartlett School of Planning, UCL.

More about the event 👉 https://bit.ly/3TUXIqZ

23/10/2026

What does a more resilient built environment look like?

At Climate Clinic 2026, architects, sustainability specialists and built environment professionals came together to explore how we can adapt, reuse and future-proof our existing buildings and places.

Our new article shares some of the key themes and insights from the event, with contributions from:
- Chris Morgan, John Gilbert Architects
- Sheena Raeburn, Raeburn Farquhar Bowen
- Dr Roddy Yarr, Independent Sustainability & Energy Consultant
- Gerry Hogan, Collective Architecture
- Rob Morrison, BE-ST

Thank you to everyone who contributed to an inspiring discussion about climate resilience, retrofit, circular construction and creating healthier, more sustainable places.

Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4zFAtQP

15/10/2026

How is AI being integrated into architectural practice, and what does this mean for architects in Scotland?

Join us at “Demystifying AI in Architectural Design”, an event exploring how Generative AI is being integrated into architectural practice and what this means for architects, designers and the wider built environment sector.

Hear from leading academics at UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, alongside practitioners from Arup as they share insights into emerging AI tools, changing, changing workflows, and the opportunities and challenges AI presents for the profession.

12 November 2026 | 12:30 – 17:00
A&DS:SpACE, Level 0, Edinburgh Futures Institute, access by Middle Meadow Walk

Book your tickets now: https://bit.ly/3TUXIqZ

30/09/2026

🎧 New episode: Architecture for a Planet in Transition

What can Scotland learn from the global conversations shaping architecture today?

In the latest Value of Design podcast, STUDIO NIRO directors Rowan MacKinnon-Pryde and Nicky Thomson share insights from the 2026 UIA World Congress of Architects in Barcelona, covering sustainability, housing, AI and the future of design.

Whether you work in the built environment or are interested in the places we live, work and connect, this episode is for you.

🎙️ Listen now on your preferred podcast platform: https://bit.ly/4jpfZqB

27/09/2026

The next speaker joining us for Scotland's Climate Week at A&DS:SpACE is Dr Roddy Yarr CEnv FISEP FRSGS FEAUC.

Roddy is a highly experienced sustainability expert delivering practical environment and energy infrastructure projects and leading sustainability teams in the public and private sector. As a former Director of Sustainability at the University of Glasgow, Roddy led the institution’s operational responset o climate mitigation and adaptation, focusing on sustainable energy infrastructure, climate resilience and sustainable development.

Roddy is a chartered environmentalist, an EAUC Fellow, a Fellow of ISEP and FRSGS. He is also a Trustee of the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

Join us at the Climate Clinic: Diagnosing and treating the built environment. Together we'll explore how to repair, adapt and future-proof the places we already have.

1 October 2026 | 1 - 4.30 PM
Book your tickets now: https://bit.ly/4xd60Im
A&DS:SpACE, Level 0, Edinburgh Futures Institute, access by Middle Meadow Walk

26/09/2026

Our next speaker joining us for Scotland's Climate Week at A&DS:SpACE is Sheena Raeburn.

Sheena Raeburn FLI is Director and co-founder of RaeburnFarquharBowen, an award-winning landscape architecture and urban design practice, and a Chartered Member and Fellow of the Landscape Institute.

A Design Council Expert and experienced landscape masterplanner, she champions inclusive, equitable and sustainable places through a green infrastructure-led approach, alongside roles in design advocacy, heritage and education.

Join us at the Climate Clinic: Diagnosing and treating the built environment. Together we'll explore how to repair, adapt and future-proof the places we already have.

1 October 2026 | 1 - 4.30 PM
Book your tickets now: https://bit.ly/4xd60Im
A&DS:SpACE, Level 0, Edinburgh Futures Institute, access by Middle Meadow Walk

25/09/2026

We're delighted to have Rob Morrison, Impact Manager - Retrofit from BE-ST join us for Climate Week at A&DS:SpACE.

Rob Morrison is an Impact Manager at BE-ST, where he leads work on Retrofit Scotland and industry and stakeholder engagement for the UKRI-funded Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings (CeNZ-HighDB) programme. His work aims to scale retrofit impact nationally, building on a decade leading Agile City CIC and overseeing the transformation of post-industrial buildings including Civic House and the Glue Factory to build an energy-positive campus in north Glasgow.

Join us at the Climate Clinic: Diagnosing and treating the built environment. Together we'll explore how to repair, adapt and future-proof the places we already have.

1 October 2026 | 1 - 4.30 PM
Book your tickets now: https://bit.ly/4xd60Im
A&DS:SpACE, Level 0, Edinburgh Futures Institute, access by Middle Meadow Walk

Address

Edinburgh

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 4:30pm
Friday	9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441315566699

Website

http://www.ads.org.uk/, https://open.spotify.com/show/3P7QOwNfbrfMB4ydTDvpvV?si=8601cafef44b4ee2

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