title: "Dodge Dakota" content: deck) was discontinued, making an AM/FM radio with a cassette deck standard on all models. AM/FM stereo CD and cassette/CD variants were also available. The 2002 model was the final year for the four-cylinder engine in the Dakota, as Chrysler ended production of the former AMC design. Most buyers ordered the V6 or V8 engines, which were considerably more powerful and, in the case of the V6, which was made standard for 2003, nearly as fuel-efficient with a manual transmission. Also, an automatic transmission was not available with the four-cylinder. SIRIUS Satellite Radio was also now available as an option,


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: and revised radios with new wiring harnesses could accommodate this new feature. A CD changer radio was also available, eliminating the need for a separately mounted unit located elsewhere inside the truck. The drivers could load up to six discs into the unit at a time, and could switch out the discs at any time, something they could not do with the old unit. Radio Data System became standard equipment on some radios. The 2003 model was the end of the old OHV V6 and the big R/T V8; the 2004 model year vehicles were available with a new 3.7


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: L Magnum V6 engine to go along with the 4.7 L V8 variant. In 2004, the cassette deck option was discontinued, and a CD player became standard equipment on all models. This generation was also assembled and sold in Brazil from 1998 to 2001. The IIHS gave this generation a 'Poor' rating in the frontal offset crash test. The 1997 to 2004 Dodge Dakota was available in several different trim levels: The ST served as the base model of the Dakota. It included features such as an A/M-F/M stereo (later with cassette player) and a four-speaker sound system, vinyl-trimmed seating


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: surfaces, front (or front and rear) bench seats, styled steel fifteen-inch (later sixteen-inch) wheels, and vinyl flooring. It also included, and was only available with, the 3.9L (later 3.7L) V6 engine. The ST was also not offered as a four-door Quad Cab model. The Sport served as the "step-up" Dakota model. It added the following features to the ST model: an A/M-F/M stereo with cassette player (later, a single-disc CD player), cloth seating surfaces, sport-styled alloy wheels, and carpeted flooring. It was available with all engines except for the high-performance 5.9L V8 engine. The SXT, introduced for model year 2001,


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: served as the "mid-range" Dakota model. It added the following features to the Sport model: an A/M-F/M stereo with single-disc CD player, air conditioning, power windows and door locks with keyless entry (available as an option), and a premium interior. It was available with all engines except for the high-performance 5.9L V8 engine. An SXT Plus model was available that added "value" features such as an A/M-F/M stereo with cassette and single-disc CD players with integral CD changer controls, a premium cloth interior, and sixteen-inch alloy wheels mounted on sixteen-inch tires. The SLT was the "top-line" Dakota model from late


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: 2000. It added the following features to the SXT model (2001 to 2004 model years) or the Sport model (1997 to 2000 model years): power windows and door locks (Sport only) with keyless entry, a premium interior (Sport only), and premium-styled alloy or chrome-clad wheels. It was available with all available engines on the Dakota. An SLT Plus Package was available that added "value" features to the SLT model, such as sixteen-inch alloy wheels, sixteen-inch tires, an A/M-F/M stereo with cassette and CD players (and integral CD changer controls on 2001 to 2004 year models), a premium cloth interior, and


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: more "upscale" features. The R/T, otherwise known as the 5.9 R/T was known as the "high-performance" and "top-line" Dakota model from 1997 to 2000. It added the following features to the SLT model: sport front seats, sport-styled chrome-clad wheels, larger performance-rated tires, an A/M-F/M stereo with cassette and single-disc CD players, a six-speaker Infinity amplified premium audio system, and the high-performance 5.9L V8 engine. It was available in all available Dakota models except for the 4-Door Quad Cab model, which was introduced after the R/T or 5.9 R/T was discontinued. The redesigned 2005 Dakota still shared its platform with the


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: new Dodge Durango SUV (which is now similar to the Ram platform). This model is longer and wider, and features a new front and rear suspension, and rack-and-pinion steering. This new generation model also reverted to five-lug wheels from the prior generation's six-lug wheels due to cost and assembly time saving measures. The Dakota is built at the Warren Truck Assembly plant in Warren, Michigan. A V6 and two V8 engines were available: The standard engine is a 3.7 L Magnum V6; the two 4.7 L V8 engines are the standard Magnum V8 and the V8 High Output or HO.


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: The 3.7 L V6 produces and of torque. The standard-output 4.7 L V8 produces and of torque. The high-output 4.7 L V8 produces and of torque. Both the 3.7 L and standard output 4.7 L V8s were available with the six-speed manual transmission in 2005 and 2006. For 2007, that option was deleted on the V8 models. In addition to a refresh of the Dakota's styling, this generation was not offered in a regular cab model. Only the club cab and quad cab configurations were available. the Dakota R/T returned in late 2005 for the 2006 year model, but only


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: with cosmetic modifications. Despite the "R/T" moniker which signifies "Road and Track", the newest Dakota R/T was simply an option package, characterized by a nonfunctional hood scoop, exclusive gauge cluster, and hockey stick-style side stripes. The package was available on both two- and four-wheel drive models. The facelifted third-generation Dakota was unveiled at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show. The Dakota received another facelift and interior upgrade along with a few other upgrades, including built-in cargo-box utility rails, heated bench seats, best-in-class towing (up to ), the largest and longest standard bed in the class, and the largest mid-size truck cab.


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: Its new 4.7-liter V8 produces and of torque. The standard engine remained the 3.7-liter V6 with and of torque. Production began in August 2007. As of 2010, the Dakota was considered a part of the Ram lineup. However, the "Dodge" emblem still existed on the tailgate, and the truck was interchangeably referred to as a Ram Dakota or Dodge Dakota. Its Mitsubishi Raider sibling was discontinued in 2009. The IIHS gave this generation a 'Good' rating in the frontal offset crash test. Throughout its production run, the 2005 to 2010 Dodge Dakota was available in three basic models: The ST


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: served as the base Dakota model. It included the following features: sixteen-inch styled steel wheels, sixteen-inch tires, vinyl-trimmed seating surfaces, manual windows and door locks, an A/M-F/M stereo with a single-disc CD player (later, single-disc CD/MP3 player) and auxiliary audio input jack (on most models), a four-speaker sound system, air conditioning, and the 3.7L "Power-Tech" V6 engine, which was the only available engine on the ST model. The SLT served as the "mid-level" Dakota model. It added the following features to the base ST model: sixteen-inch sport-styled alloy wheels, cloth seating surfaces, and power windows and door locks with keyless


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: entry. The SLT was available with any engine offering on the Dakota. A Big Horn (all states other than Texas), or Lonestar (Texas ONLY) Package was also available for the SLT model, which included "value-added" features, as was an SXT Package that added a color-keyed front grille, color-keyed front and rear bumpers, and sport cloth seating surfaces. The Laramie, otherwise known as the SLT Laramie, was the "top-line" Dakota model. It added the following features to the "mid-level" SLT model: seventeen-inch chrome-clad alloy wheels, seventeen-inch tires, an A/M-F/M stereo with a six-disc, in-dash CD/MP3 changer and auxiliary audio input jack


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: (on most models), a premium Infinity (later Alpine) six-speaker amplified audio system, leather-trimmed heated seating surfaces, power front seats, a security system, a five-speed automatic transmission, and the base 4.7L "Power-Tech" V8 engine, though the high-output version of the same engine was also available on the Laramie or SLT Laramie. The third-generation Dakota was discontinued in 2011, with the last unit coming off the assembly line on August 23, 2011, ending the truck's 25-year run. As of 2011, according to Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Chrysler Group, the Dakota will probably not be replaced by a similar vehicle, mostly due


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: to declining popularity of compact trucks on the North American market (see Ford Ranger for similar outcome). Another problem was that buyers complained that the smaller pickup was not priced lower than the full-sized Ram 1500; nevertheless, the Dakota's return continues to be reported since 2012. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced in September 2014 an agreement with Mitsubishi Motors to codevelop the next-generation Mitsubishi L200 to be sold globally by both companies. It is sold as RAM 1200 in some Middle Eastern countries. FCA's plans may have been redefined for the future as they've announced a new pickup based on the


title: "Dodge Dakota" content: Jeep Wrangler beginning with the 2017 model year. Jeep has delayed the release of the Wrangler pickup to late 2019. Dodge Dakota The Dodge Dakota, known as the Ram Dakota for the final two years of production, is a mid-size pickup truck from Chrysler's Ram (formerly Dodge Truck) division. From its introduction through 2009, it was marketed by Dodge. The first Dakota was introduced in 1986 as a 1987 model alongside the redesigned Dodge Ram 50. The Dakota was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2000. The Dakota has always been sized above the compact


title: "Dodge Durango" content: Dodge Durango The Dodge Durango is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by Dodge. The first two generations were very similar in that both were based on the Dodge Dakota, both featured a body-on-frame construction and both were produced at the Newark Assembly Plant in Newark, Delaware. The third-generation Durango is built on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, features unibody construction, and has been assembled at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan, since mid-2010. It continues as a mid-sized SUV . The Durango was marketed as a sturdy truck-based SUV designed to hold up to


title: "Dodge Durango" content: seven passengers and tow up to when properly equipped. The Durango shared a front end, instrument panel, and front seats with the Dakota pickup on which it was based. Original designs of the eight-passenger Durango featured a rear-facing third row similar to many older station wagons. To make room for a more practical forward-facing third row, Dodge shortened the length of the front doors and raised the roof two inches (5 cm) beyond the front seats, allowing for stadium seating. The Durango's roof rack was designed to mask the appearance of the raised roof. The 4.7 L Magnum V8 replaced


title: "Dodge Durango" content: the 5.2 L Magnum V8 engine for 2000; however, the 5.2 was still available in the early 2000 models. In that same year, a special AWD performance version called the R/T was released with a 5.9 L Magnum V8. In 1999 and 2000, a limited-edition Shelby S.P.360 version was offered that featured a supercharged version of the 5.9 L Magnum V8 engine. Output is and of torque. Exterior modifications include unique wheels, tires, suspension, and bumpers. It came standard with Viper blue paint with two racing stripes down the center of the truck. It boasted a 0 to 60 mph


title: "Dodge Durango" content: time of 7.1 seconds. The top speed was . For 1999, the Durango was made available with two-wheel drive. A 3.9 L Magnum V6 engine was available, but few were sold. Minor changes were made for the second year, two new paint colors and notable options available including heated rear view mirrors and steering wheel-mounted radio controls. Leather seats became standard on SLT Plus models, and body-color wheel flares became standard on SLT Plus and four-wheel drive models. The 2000 model year included a new 4.7 L Magnum V8 engine, which replaced the reliable 5.2 L Magnum V8, as the


title: "Dodge Durango" content: standard engine for four-wheel drive models. The 3.9 L Magnum V6 engine was no longer available, leaving only V8s for the rest of the production run. The high-performance Durango R/T came equipped with a performance-tuned 5.9 L Magnum V8 and all-wheel drive. For 2001, Dodge focused on interior upgrades as Durango's interior trim panels, dash-mounted controls, instrument panel, overhead console, and steering wheel were all redesigned. The transfer case selector on 4X4 models changed from a manual lever on the console to a switch on the dash. The instrument cluster was updated, and an electronic vehicle information center was incorporated


title: "Dodge Durango" content: into the overhead console. For improved rear passenger comfort, a dual-zone climate-control system was added as standard equipment. Sound systems were improved on all models and now came standard with SX speakers. Other minor changes include: door panels, revised seats, aluminium wheels, and minor changes to trim options. In 2002, the new SXT version of the Durango was offered as the entry-level trim package. Optional side curtain airbags were added for safety. The 2003 Durango featured minor mechanical changes, most notable was the addition of four-wheel disc brakes. In 1999, the following models: 4WD 5.2L V8, 4WD 5.9L V8 hold


title: "Dodge Durango" content: the best crash test results in this Durango year and manufacturing, with it holding a 6.8 out of 10 total rating. The SLT, SLT Plus, and Sport trim levels offered the 3.9 L Magnum V6 engine as standard equipment (late availability starting in 1999), with the 5.2 L and 5.9 L Magnum V8 engines being available options, later switching to the 4.7 L Power-Tech V8 engine, with the 5.9 L Magnum V8 engine optional. The R/T and S.P. 360 trim levels included the 5.9 L Magnum V8 engine as standard equipment. The second-generation Durango was first shown as a concept


title: "Dodge Durango" content: dubbed Dodge Durango R/T concept at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show. It debuted shortly before the companion Dakota. Like the Dakota, it has much in common with the large Dodge Ram pickup, including a fully boxed frame. It is longer, wider, and taller than the previous model. It also offered a third-row bench with three seats, giving it an eight-seat capacity. The design took its styling primarily from the Dodge Powerbox concept, which was itself based on the 1999 Dodge Power Wagon concept, and the 2003-2004 Durango R/T concept. Debuting for 2004 was a new coil-spring rear suspension for the


title: "Dodge Durango" content: solid rear axle. A Watt's linkage system is fitted to the rear axle, centering the axle and reducing rear-end skate over rough surfaces, and allowing a lower and wider cargo floor. SXT: 2003-2009: Most basic trim level, basic features. SLT: 2003-2009: Value-oriented trim level, value-added features, optional luxury features. Adventurer: 2005-2007: Value-oriented and "off-road-look" trim level, value-added features, optional luxury features. Limited: 2003-2009: Most luxurious trim level, luxury features. All trim levels offered the 4.7L Power-Tech V8 engine as standard equipment, though the 5.7 L HEMI V8 engine was available on all trim levels, except for the base SXT trim


title: "Dodge Durango" content: level. The base SXT trim level also offered the 3.7 L Power-Tech V6 engine as standard equipment in place of the 5.7 L HEMI V8 engine option, though the V6 engine option was only available on the base SXT trim level, and only between 2004 and 2007. The 2004 Dodge Durango was the first SUV in DaimlerChrysler's lineup to introduce the 5.7 L HEMI V8 engine, as well as a new radio design and modernized interior features. The 2007 model year featured a facelift that debuted at the Dallas Auto Show in April 2006. It featured a redesigned grille, hood,


title: "Dodge Durango" content: headlamps, fenders, and wheels. New features included electronic stability control, a tire pressure-monitoring system, rear park assist, and a one-touch turn signal. In 2006, DaimlerChrysler introduced a mid-size luxury SUV based on the Durango, called the Chrysler Aspen, for the 2007 model year. The Chrysler Aspen is a luxury SUV from Chrysler. Launched for the 2007 model-year, the Aspen was based on the Dodge Durango SUV. The Aspen was the first truck-based SUV commercialized under the Chrysler brand, although the PT Cruiser was the first truck-based Chrysler brand vehicle as classified under Corporate Average Fuel Economy's (CAFE) regulation. With this


title: "Dodge Durango" content: introduction, as of 2007, all American automobile brands had an SUV in their range. The truck was unveiled at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. The Aspen came equipped with three rows of seating for eight passengers and available all-wheel drive. It was available in only one trim, Limited. The 2007 Chrysler Aspen appears in the 2006 movie "Deck the Halls". Due to slow sales, it was discontinued after the 2009 model year. In October 2009, Chrysler announced that the shutdown of the Newark Assembly facility, which produced the Durango and the Chrysler Aspen, would be moved up to


title: "Dodge Durango" content: the end of 2009, thereby ending production of the Aspen and Durango after the 2009 model-year. Production ceased on December 19, 2008. After announcing the discontinuation of the Durango after the 2009 model year, Dodge released an Internet site and teaser photos of the third-generation Dodge Durango on August 16, 2010. The 2011 Dodge Durango entered production on December 14, 2010, alongside the second-generation Charger in the 2011 vehicle lineup. It went on sale for general dealership availability in mid-January 2011. The third-generation Durango is built alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan,


title: "Dodge Durango" content: sharing the assembly line, running gear, powertrains, and chassis parts with the Grand Cherokee. The wheelbase of the Durango is longer than that of the Grand Cherokee. It features three rows of seating compared to the Grand Cherokee's two rows. The Dodge Durango is available in several distinct trim levels: Express - 2011 only: Base trim level, base features, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 engine only. Crew - 2011-2013: Value-added trim level, added features, optional luxury features, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 and 5.7 L HEMI V8 engines. SXT - 2012–present: Base trim level, base features, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 engine only.


title: "Dodge Durango" content: SXT Plus - 2014–present: Basic trim level, basic features, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 engine only. Crew Plus - 2010-2013: Luxury trim level, luxury features, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 or 5.7 L HEMI V8 engines. Limited - 2014–2016: Luxury trim level, luxury features, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 or 5.7 L HEMI V8 engines. GT - 2017–present: Sporty trim level that replaces the Limited trim, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 engine only. GT Plus - 2019–present: GT trim with selected luxury amenities, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 engine only. R/T - 2011–present: Sporty trim level, sporty details, 5.7 L HEMI V8 engine only. First


title: "Dodge Durango" content: return to the Dodge Durango lineup since 2001. Citadel - 2011–present: Highest trim level, luxurious features, 3.6 L Pentastar V6 or 5.7 L HEMI V8 engines. SRT - December 2017 for the 2018 model year: will include a 6.4 L V8. A Special Service Package has also been available since 2012, and is sold exclusively to government fleets. It is based on the base Durango SXT trim level, but does offer the 5.7L HEMI V8 engine that the public-market SXT trim level does not offer. The third-generation Durango features three engines. The base engine is a new 3.6 L V6


title: "Dodge Durango" content: engine producing and of torque at 4,800 rpm; 90% of peak torque is available from 1,600 to 6,400 rpm. The Pentastar V6 engine is backed by a Mercedes W5A580 five-speed automatic, with Chrysler's controls and the driver-interactive control. The 5.7 L Hemi VVT V8 returned with and of torque, which features the 545RFE five-speed automatic. The Hemi V8 also comes with a "fuel-saver" (cylinder deactivation) mode. This feature is primarily used when the vehicle is cruising at constant speeds on level ground. Dodge unveiled its revised 2014 model Durango at the 2013 New York International Auto Show. The 2014 Durango


title: "Dodge Durango" content: was redesigned with sportier-looking lines, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a new design trim similar to the Rallye, with blackened plastic bumper and outline. The tail lights were reworked to feature a single LED 'Racetrack' tail lamp similar to the Charger and Dart. On the inside, Dodge added a revised steering wheel, instrument cluster, rotary shift knob, and a reconfigurable 7-in (780mm) thin film transistor display first seen on the Dart. The 2015 Durango received a new package available for the R/T trim, consisting of a Premium Nappa Leather Group option featuring radar red leather seats, , black headlamp bezels,


title: "Dodge Durango" content: HID low beams and LED DRLS, optional R/T embroidery on the seats, a nine-speaker sound system with a subwoofer, a 360-horsepower 5.7 L Hemi paired with ZF's eight-speed transmission, and a Granite Crystal wheel finished in black. For 2016 the Durango received the new Pentastar Upgrade V6 which adds Stop/Start, Variable Valve Lift and better drivability through a 15% enhanced torque curve and increasing the Variable Valve Timing from 50 degrees to 70 degrees. Other technologies include Cooled EGR and friction reduction. Despite the added tech, the engine weighs 4 lbs less. Power output remains the same at 293HP/260 ft/lbs


title: "Dodge Durango" content: torque (single exhaust) and 295HP/260 ft/lbs torque (dual exhaust). The Durango also added new packages to their two trims, with the Anodized Platinum package for the Citadel trim and the Brass Monkey package for the Limited trim. For 2017, the Dodge Durango Limited trim is discontinued and replaced by the new GT trim and the Base SXT trim level will now be available with three row seating fitting 7 passengers. For 2018, All models received the new Uconnect radios and the 2nd Generation ZF 8 speed automatic transmission. The rotary transmission gear shifter has been replaced with a t grip


title: "Dodge Durango" content: handle like in the Dodge Charger. The steering wheel has also been changed to a more sporty wheel like found in the Dodge Charger. Other changes include suede insert leather seats and black chrome inserts in the interior on the GT model. For 2019: The Tow Group IV package gets an integrated trailer brake controller. The Dodge Durango GT trim gets the R/T- and SRT-style grill. A new GT Plus trim is added which adds several amenities to the GT trim, such as heated front and second row seats and steering wheel; 6-way passenger power seat with 4-way lumbar adjustment;


title: "Dodge Durango" content: two-position memory for the driver's seat, radio, and mirrors; power lift gate; and 150W inverter. On August 16, 2012, Chrysler recalled 1,661 2013-model Dodge Durango sport utility vehicles in the United States and Canada because some airbags may not deploy in an accident. The recall affects 1,449 of the seven-passenger versions of the SUVs in the United States and 212 in Canada and other markets. On July 24, 2015, Chrysler recalled all 2014-2015 Dodge Durangos with the touch-screens due to security concerns with the software that controls the vehicle because it could be hacked. The vulnerability was discovered by software


title: "Dodge Durango" content: engineers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek and initially posted on "Wired". This vulnerability would allow hackers to remotely access and take over a variety of features, including those key parts of driving via a vulnerability in the Uconnect infotainment system. Dodge Durango The Dodge Durango is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by Dodge. The first two generations were very similar in that both were based on the Dodge Dakota, both featured a body-on-frame construction and both were produced at the Newark Assembly Plant in Newark, Delaware. The third-generation Durango is built on the same platform as the Jeep Grand


title: "Virginia State Route 620 (Fairfax and Loudoun Counties)" content: and up to Coleman's Ordinary (today Northern Herndon, Virginia). It is unlikely that today's Braddock Road was the actual route taken by Halkett's group. Rather, they roughly followed the route of present-day Leesburg Pike (Route 7). During the American Civil War, both Union and Confederate troops traversed Braddock Road during various battles in Fairfax County and other parts of Northern Virginia. One of Mosby's Raiders, Robert Spindle, was a native of Centreville. Later, the part of SR 620 that was formed when Braddock Road was cut at US 29 was named after him, Spindle Court. With the advent of the


title: "L'Enfant Plaza" content: scheduled to begin on January 1, 1961, but was delayed due to unresolved design issues with L'Enfant Promenade, the short time-frame to prepare detailed construction plans, and because Congress had not granted air rights above 9th Street SW to the developers. For four years, construction of L'Enfant Plaza and the hotel were delayed. Zeckendorf agreed to build the promenade, plaza, and all surrounding buildings as a single project in April 1961 and pay $20 per for the land. These pledges led the Redevelopment Land Agency to award the 14-block area to Zeckendorf in October 1961 for $7 million. Zeckendorf had


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: Minneapolis City Hall Minneapolis City Hall and Hennepin County Courthouse (also known as the Municipal Building), designed by Long and Kees in 1888, is the main building used by the city government of Minneapolis, Minnesota as well as by Hennepin County, Minnesota. The structure has served as mainly local government offices since it was built, and today the building is 60 percent occupied by the city and 40 percent occupied by the County. The building is jointly owned by the city and county and managed by the Municipal Building Commission. The Commission consists of the chair of the County Board,


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: the mayor of the City of Minneapolis, a member of the County Board and a member of the Minneapolis City Council. The County Board chair serves as the president of the Commission and the mayor serves as the vice president. The building bears a striking resemblance to the city hall buildings in Cincinnati and Toronto. The City Hall and Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The building replaced an earlier City Hall that existed from 1873 until 1912 near the old intersection between Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet Avenue. That structure eventually was razed to


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: make way for Gateway Park, which continues to occupy part of the old City Hall site. The building also replaced an earlier courthouse and also the earlier Hennepin County Jail, which was located where U.S. Bank Stadium currently stands. The building, located at 350 South Fifth Street, is an example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. The design is based upon Henry Hobson Richardson's Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Washington School, the first schoolhouse in Minneapolis west of the Mississippi River, was demolished to make way for the new building. Groundbreaking took place in 1889, and the cornerstone was laid (a


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: story off the ground) in 1891. Construction did not officially end until 1906, although the structural exterior was essentially complete by the end of 1895. The county began moving in to its side (4th Ave.) in November 1895, while the city (3rd Ave.) side was not occupied until December 1902. Cost was about $3,554,000, which works out to 28¢ per cubic foot ($10/m³).When constructed, the building claimed to have the world's largest four-faced chiming clock. At 24 feet, 6 inches (just under 7 1/2 meters), the faces are 18 inches (45.7 cm) wider than those of the Great Clock in


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: London (which houses the famous hour bell Big Ben). The tower housing the clock reaches 345 feet (105 m) in height, and was the tallest structure in the city until the 1920s when the Foshay Tower was built. A 15-bell chime in the tower is played regularly, with noontime concerts provided to the public on holidays and on Fridays and certain Sundays during the warm months. The chime was originally 10 bells, and it was first played on March 10, 1896. The building is built of rose granite quarried in Ortonville, with many stones greater than 20 tonnes in weight.


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: The granite was originally only going to be used for the foundation of the building, with brick used for the upper portion. However, the public appreciated the appearance of the foundation so much that they lobbied for the entire building to be made of granite. This may be a reason for the significant cost overruns — it was originally expected to cost only $1.15 million. Unlike most buildings in downtown Minneapolis, there aren't any "skyways" connecting the city hall to the rest of the city. Since exterior alterations are not allowed for buildings on the National Register of Historic Places,


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: tunnels were constructed instead. Public pedestrian tunnels connect the building to the Hennepin County Government Center under 5th Street, and to the U.S. Courthouse under 4th Street. There are also restricted tunnels for use by the sheriff connecting under 4th Avenue to the Hennepin County Jail and to the Government Center. The METRO Blue and Green light rail lines have a stop on the south side of the building: the Government Plaza station. Inside, on the 4th Street side, there is a large five-story rotunda including a large sculpture, "Father of Waters," by American sculptor Larkin Goldsmith Mead who lived


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: in Florence, Italy at the time. According to legend, rubbing his big toe brings good luck. It was placed inside the building in 1906. Originally, the building had a red terracotta roof, but it began leaking so a copper roof was installed. At 180,000 pounds (81.6 t), it was said to be the largest in the country. The copper has since acquired its characteristic green patina.Over the years, some of the larger spaces in the building were subdivided to make more office space. In the 1940s and 1950s, the city built a mezzanine floor over its side of the 3rd


title: "Minneapolis City Hall" content: floor, and the county built an annex building on its side of the courtyard. In 1981, a committee plan recommended converting some of the spaces back to their original design and that other spaces be converted to a more open design with offices fronting onto the courtyard instead of the current corridors. The plan also called for the annex building in the courtyard to be demolished, the courtyard domed, and the Father of Waters sculpture moved in there. Many of these aspects of the plan were rejected, although restoration of certain historic spaces has been completed. Minneapolis City Hall Minneapolis


title: "L and M-class destroyer" content: the ships were to have six QF Mark XI guns in Mark XX twin mountings in 'A', 'B', and 'X' positions. The 'X' mount gave an estimated arc of fire of 320 degrees at low elevations and 360 degrees at elevations above around 20 degrees. The Mark XI gun itself was a major improvement on the previous version in that it threw a shell (compared to the 50 lb (23 kg) shell in the preceding J class). The Mark XX mount was fully enclosed and supposedly weatherproof; in service, crews found otherwise. It also allowed the guns to be elevated


title: "Mohamed Hassanein Heikal" content: Socialist Union Party, briefly acting as foreign minister under Nasser. But his mood changed with the Colonel's successors, whose lurch to the right shook Cairo's post-colonial establishment. After decades of tension and conflict, the Yom Kippur War inspired by Egypt did nothing to dent the burgeoning power of Jewish nationalism in the region. Sadat's decision in the 1970s was momentous: recognition of the Israeli right to occupy Jerusalem, and to the border with Sinai terminating with Port Eilat. The Egyptians agreed to these terms yearning for peace at almost any price. Sadat, a moderate himself, prepared to meet the implacable


title: "John Rudolphus Booth" content: Duluth and Milwaukee, and steamships on the Great Lakes, and formed the Canada Atlantic Transit Company, which operated five large lake freighters on the Upper Great Lakes. Prompted by the federal government, the Grand Trunk Railway began negotiating with Booth to acquire the Canada Atlantic as part of the Grand Trunk's efforts to expand into northern Ontario and eventually into Western Canada. In August 1904 the GTR agreed to purchase the Canada Atlantic system, including the Great Lakes steamship fleet and the line in Vermont which connected with its Central Vermont Railway subsidiary. The agreed-upon price for the entire system


title: "Matte Kudasai" content: Matte Kudasai "Matte Kudasai" is a single by the progressive rock band King Crimson, released in 1981. Its tracks are from the album "Discipline" (1981). "Matte Kudasai" evolved from another song recorded by The League of Gentlemen called "Northa Kudasai", which in turn became "North Star" on Robert Fripp's 1979 album "Exposure". The 30th and 35th anniversary editions of "Discipline" contain two versions of "Matte Kudasai". On the original LP, cassette and CD releases, just one version was included. That version featured a guitar overdub by Robert Fripp. "Matte Kudasai (Alternative version)" (as it appears as a bonus track on


title: "Charles Wentworth Dilke" content: is a museum to John Keats. Dilke was married for 40 years to a "Yorkshire farmer's daughter" who died in 1850. After her death and that of his daughter-in-law in 1853, he devoted increasing time to the upbringing of his grandson and namesake, the future cabinet minister and the 2nd Baronet. Charles Wentworth Dilke married Maria Dover Walker (1790–1850). Maria was the daughter of Edward Walker and his wife Frances Davis, upholsterers of Dean Street, Soho, London Charles Wentworth Dilke Charles Wentworth Dilke (1789–1864) was an English liberal critic and writer on literature. He served for many years in the


title: "1977 Manitoba general election" content: 1977 Manitoba general election The Manitoba general election of October 11, 1977 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which took 33 seats out of 57. The governing New Democratic Party fell to 23 seats, while the Liberal Party won only one seat. Note: <nowiki>*</nowiki> Party did not nominate candidates in previous election. Party key: Arthur: Assiniboia: Birtle-Russell: Brandon East: Brandon West: Burrows: Charleswood: Churchill: Crescentwood: Dauphin: Elmwood: Emerson: Flin Flon: Fort Garry: Fort Rouge: Gimli: Gladstone: Inkster: Kildonan: Lac Du Bonnet: Lakeside: La


title: "Republic of Artsakh" content: rebuilt many of the schools. The republic has around 250 schools of various sizes, with more than 200 lying in the regions. The student population estimated at more than 20,000 study, with almost half in the capital city of Stepanakert. Artsakh State University was founded by Artsakh and Armenian governments' joint efforts, with main campus in Stepanakert. The university opening ceremony took place on 10 May 1992. Yerevan University of Management also opened a branch in Stepanakert. "We Are Our Mountains" () by Sargis Baghdasaryan is a monument located in Stepanakert. The sculpture is widely regarded as a symbol of


title: "Music of Nova Scotia" content: and won the 2004 Scribble Jam in Cincinnati. DJ IV, DJ Lap One and Y Rush are some of the city's current hip hop djs who mix using old school, contemporary, and underground hip hop. Music of Nova Scotia Music is a part of the warp and weft of the fabric of Nova Scotia's cultural life. This deep and lasting love of music is expressed through the performance and enjoyment of all types and genres of music. While popular music from many genres has experienced almost two decades of explosive growth and success in Nova Scotia, the province remains best


title: "USS Kephart (DE-207)" content: July for the final major amphibious operation of the war — the landing operations at Balikpapan, Borneo. Continuing escort and anti-submarine duty, "Kephart" departed Morotai on 16 July and reached Leyte Gulf two days later. On 4 August she began amphibious training at Albay and Lagonoy Gulfs, Luzon, in preparation for a possible invasion of Japan. After the fighting ended on 15 August, she sailed from Leyte Gulf on 29 August to Okinawa to embark occupation troops for Korea. She reached Jinsen, Korea, on 8 September; and then shuttled between the Philippines and Korea. She steamed from Jinsen on 29


title: Sirkap content: Sirkap Sirkap (Urdu and ) is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city of Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded ancient India around 180 BC. Demetrius founded in the northern and northwestern modern Pakistan an Indo-Greek kingdom that was to last until around 10 BC. Sirkap is also said to have been rebuilt by king Menander I. The excavation of the old city was carried out under the supervision of Sir John Marshall by Hergrew from 1912–1930. In 1944 and 1945 further parts


title: Sirkap content: were excavated by Mortimer Wheeler and his colleagues. The site of Sirkap was built according to the "Hippodamian" grid-plan characteristic of Greek cities. It is organized around one main avenue and fifteen perpendicular streets, covering a surface of around , with a surrounding wall wide and long. The ruins are Greek in character, similar to those of Olynthus in Macedonia. Numerous Hellenistic artifacts have been found, in particular coins of Greco-Bactrian kings and stone palettes representing Greek mythological scenes. Some of them are purely Hellenistic, others indicate an evolution of the Greco-Bactrian styles found at Ai-Khanoum towards more indianized styles.


title: Sirkap content: For example, accessories such as Indian ankle bracelets can be found on some representations of Greek mythological figures such as Artemis. Following its construction by the Greeks, the city was further rebuilt during the incursions of the Indo-Scythians, and later by the Indo-Parthians after an earthquake in 30 AD. Gondophares, the first king of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom, built parts of the city including the double headed eagle stupa and the temple of the sun god. The city was overtaken by the Kushan kings who abandoned it and built a new city at Sirsukh, about to the north-east. Buddhist stupas with


title: Sirkap content: strong Hellenistic decorative elements can be found throughout the Sirkap site (Stupa of the two eagles ), a Jain temple, as well as a Hindu temple, indicating a close interaction of religious cultures. A Greek religious temple of the Ionic order is also visible at the nearby site of Jandial ( from Sirkap), but there is a possibility that it may have been dedicated to a Zoroastrian cult. The site of Sirkap bears witness to the city-building activity of the Indo-Greeks during their occupation of the Indian territory for close to two centuries, as well as their integration of other


title: Sirkap content: faiths, especially Buddhism. One round Stupa is present at Sirkap. It is one of the oldest Stupas in the Indian-Subcontinent. It is assumed that this Stupa was uprooted and thrown to its present location by a strong earthquake in the 1st century AD. When the new city was built later, the Stupa was kept by building a protecting wall around it. The building that is known as the Apsidal Temple is the largest sanctuary of Sirkap, measuring about (by contrast: the Parthenon in Athens is ). The Apsidal Temple consists of a square nave with several rooms, used by the


title: Sirkap content: Buddhist monks, and a circular room, which gives the building its apsidal shape. After the earthquake that destroyed the city in c. 30 AD, the Buddhist shrine was built in a spacious courtyard. The round part was probably in use for a small stupa, but no traces of it remain. Some carvings were probably done by an artist from Greece. A special Stupa at Sirkap is the so-called 'Double-Headed Eagle Stupa'. The pilasters here are of a Greek design, "Corinthian columns". In the middle arch, a Greek temple is shown; in the outer, a shrine of a Hindu design can


title: Sirkap content: be seen. On top of these sanctuaries, a Double-headed eagle is seated from which the name of the Stupa has been derived. This motive is rather odd, to say the least, as it is originally Babylonian. It seems to have spread to Scythia, and introduced in the Punjab by the Saka rulers. The nearby Dharmarajika Stupa, is a large stupa that dates from the 2nd century CE. The stupa was built to house relics of the Buddha, while several monastic buildings were built around the stupa. The Greek philosopher Apollonius of Tyana is related to have visited ancient India, and


title: Sirkap content: specifically the city of Taxila in the 1st century AD. He describes constructions of the Greek type, probably referring to Sirkap: Sirkap Sirkap (Urdu and ) is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city of Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded ancient India around 180 BC. Demetrius founded in the northern and northwestern modern Pakistan an Indo-Greek kingdom that was to last until around 10 BC. Sirkap is also said to have been rebuilt by king Menander I. The excavation of the old


title: "Herman Badillo" content: he apologized two days later. In the late 1990s Badillo formally joined the Republican Party. He resigned as education special counsel and CUNY Chairman when announcing his candidacy for Mayor in 2001. Despite his strong support of Mayor Giuliani, Badillo's bid for Mayor never received serious support from Giuliani or the Republican Party, and lost badly in the Republican primary to billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who had just switched parties as Badillo had done earlier. In 2005, Badillo became "of counsel" to the New York City law firm of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. In 2006 he joined the


title: "Food processor" content: Food processor A food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate repetitive tasks in the preparation of food. Today, the term almost always refers to an electric-motor-driven appliance, although there are some manual devices also referred to as "food processors". Food processors are similar to blenders in many forms. The primary difference is that food processors use interchangeable blades and disks (attachments) rather than a fixed blade. Food Processors are user friendly for all users. This product has multiple features to separate it from the blender. In half the time, the Food Processor can blend, chop, dice, and slice


title: "Food processor" content: allowing for a quicker meal preparation. A food processor typically requires little to no liquid during use, unlike a blender, which requires a set amount of liquid in order for the blade to properly blend the food. One of the first electric food processors was the Starmix, introduced by German company Electrostar in 1946. Although the basic unit resembled a simple blender, numerous accessories were available, including attachments for slicing bread, milk centrifuges and ice cream bowls. In a time when electric motors were expensive, they also developed the piccolo, where the food processor's base unit could drive a vacuum


title: "Food processor" content: cleaner. In the 1960s, Albrecht von Goertz designed the Starmix MX3 food processor. Although the entire company was rebranded as Starmix in 1968 following the success of the processors, they later focused on vacuum cleaners and electric hand-dryers and the last mixer was produced around the year 2000. In France, the concept of a machine to process food began when a catering company salesman, Pierre Verdun, observed the large amount of time his clients spent in the kitchen chopping, shredding and mixing. He produced a simple but effective solution, a bowl with a revolving blade in the base. In 1960,


title: "Food processor" content: this evolved into Robot-Coupe, a company established to manufacture commercial "food processors" for the catering industry. In the late 1960s, a commercial food processor driven by a powerful commercial induction motor was produced. Robot-Coupe's Magimix food processor arrived from France in the UK in 1974, beginning with the Model 1800. Then, a UK company Kenwood Limited started their own first Kenwood Food Processor, 'processor de- luxe,' in 1979. Carl Sontheimer introduced this same Magimix 1800 food processor to North America in 1973 under the Cuisinart brand, as America's first domestic food processor. Sontheimer contracted with a Japanese manufacturer to produce


title: "Food processor" content: new models in 1977 in order to immediately launch his new Japanese-made food processor in 1980 when his contract with Robot-Coupe expired. Disability research was an ongoing project because the first food processor created was not user friendly for all individuals. In 1978, Marc Harrison was a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. He specialized in Industrial Design. Cuisinart, an American company, contacted and hired Marc Harrison in 1978 to update the Food Processor. Marc Harrison updated the product to focus on making the machine usable for those with limited abilities with fine motor skills and eyesight, which


title: "Food processor" content: in turn made it easier for any user to operate. These updates included larger writing on the base of the product to benefit those who have vision impairments, and larger handles and buttons. These updates were created so that the food processor could be accessible for all users. Food processors normally have multiple functions, depending on the placement and type of attachment or blade. These functions normally include: The base of the unit houses a motor which turns a vertical shaft. A bowl, usually made of transparent plastic, fits around the shaft. Cutting blades can be attached to the shaft;


title: "Food processor" content: these fit so as to operate near the bottom of the bowl. Shredding or slicing disks can be attached instead; these spin near the top of the bowl. A lid with a "feed tube" is then fitted onto the bowl. The feed tube allows ingredients to be added while chopping, grinding or pureeing. It also serves as a chute through which items are introduced to shredding or slicing disks. A "pusher" is provided, sized to slide through the feed tube, protecting the user's fingers. Almost all modern food processors have safety devices which prevent the motor from operating if the


title: "Food processor" content: bowl is not properly secured to the base or if the lid is not properly secured to the bowl. A food chopper is basically a food processor of a smaller size. It also suits better for chopping food than for making smoothies. Food processor A food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate repetitive tasks in the preparation of food. Today, the term almost always refers to an electric-motor-driven appliance, although there are some manual devices also referred to as "food processors". Food processors are similar to blenders in many forms. The primary difference is that food processors use


title: "Music of the Final Fantasy series" content: by Kenji Ito, with one track by Uematsu. "Final Fantasy Mystic Quest" (1992) is an SNES game scored by Ryuji Sasai and Yasuhiro Kawakami. "" (1994) is an animated sequel to "Final Fantasy V", and was scored by Masahiko Sato. "" (2001), a computer animated science fiction film, was scored by Elliot Goldenthal, and "" (2001), a 25-episode anime series, was scored by Nobuo Uematsu, Shiro Hamaguchi, and Akifumi Tada. The soundtracks to "The Spirits Within" and "Mystic Quest" were released as separate albums, while "Unlimited" had two soundtrack album releases. "Final Fantasy Adventure" saw the release of a soundtrack


title: "Puerto Rican Nationalist Party" content: appointed Alfonso Lastra Charriez as its emissary since he had French heritage and spoke the language fluently. Betances' remains arrived in San Juan on August 5, 1920. A funeral caravan organized by the Nationalist Association transferred the remains from San Juan to the town of Cabo Rojo, where his ashes were interred by his monument. By the 1920s, two other pro-independence organizations had formed on the Island: the Nationalist Youth and the Independence Association of Puerto Rico. The Independence Association was founded by José S. Alegría, Eugenio Font Suárez and Leopoldo Figueroa in 1920. On September 17, 1922, these three


title: "Autolycus (crater)" content: quarter. The rim of Autolycus is somewhat irregular, although generally circular overall. It has a small outer rampart and an irregular interior with no central peak. It possesses a light ray system that extends for a distance of over 400 kilometers. Due to its rays, Autolycus is mapped as part of the Copernican System. Some of the ray material appears to overlay the flooded floor of Archimedes, and thus Autolycus is older than Archimedes. Aristillus (to the north), however, has rays that overlay both Autolycus and Archimedes, and thus it is the youngest of the three craters. The first man-made


title: "Taxodium mucronatum" content: Taxodium mucronatum Taxodium mucronatum, also known as Montezuma bald cypress, Montezuma cypress, sabino, or ahuehuete is a species of "Taxodium" that is native to Mexico, and Guatemala. Ahuehuete is derived from the Nahuatl name for the tree, āhuēhuētl, which means "upright drum in water" or "old man of the water." It is a large evergreen or semi-evergreen tree growing to tall and with a trunk of diameter (occasionally much more; see below). The leaves are spirally arranged but twisted at the base to lie in two horizontal ranks, long and broad. The cones are ovoid, long and broad. Unlike bald


title: "Taxodium mucronatum" content: cypress and pond cypress, Montezuma cypress rarely produces cypress knees from the roots. Trees from the Mexican highlands achieve a notable stoutness. One specimen, the Árbol del Tule in Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico, is the stoutest tree in the world with a diameter of . Several other specimens from diameter are known. The second stoutest tree in the world is the Big Baobab, an African Baobab. Montezuma cypress is primarily a riparian tree, growing along upland riversides, but can also be found next to springs and marshes. It occurs from , in Mexico mainly in highlands at in


title: "Taxodium mucronatum" content: altitude. "T. mucronatum" is very drought-tolerant and fast-growing and favors climates that are rainy throughout the year or at least with high summer rainfall. "Taxodium mucronatum" is native to much of Mexico as far south as the highlands of southern Mexico. Two disjunct populations exist in the United States. One is in the Rio Grande Valley of southernmost Texas, while the other is in southern New Mexico, near Las Cruces. Within Guatemala, the tree is restricted to Huehuetenango Department. The sabino became the national tree of Mexico in 1910. The tree is sacred to the native peoples of Mexico, and


title: "Taxodium mucronatum" content: is featured in the Zapotec creation myth. To the Aztecs, the combined shade of an "āhuēhuētl" and a "pōchōtl" ("Ceiba pentandra") metaphorically represented a ruler's authority. According to legend, Hernán Cortés wept under an ahuehuete in Popotla after suffering defeat during the Battle of La Noche Triste. Montezuma cypresses have been used as ornamental trees since Pre-Columbian times. The Aztecs planted "āhuēhuētl" along processional paths in the gardens of Chapultepec because of its association with government. Artificial islands called "chinampas" were formed in the shallow lakes of the Valley of Mexico by adding soil to rectangular areas enclosed by trees


title: "Taxodium mucronatum" content: such as "āhuēhuētl"; they also lined the region's canals prior to Spanish conquest. Ahuehuetes are frequently cultivated in Mexican parks and gardens. The wood is used to make house beams and furniture. The Aztecs used its resin to treat gout, ulcers, skin diseases, wounds, and toothaches. A decoction made from the bark was used as a diuretic and an emmenagogue. Pitch derived from the wood was used as a cure for bronchitis The leaves acted as a relaxant and could help reduce itching. John Naka, a world-renowned bonsai master, donated his very first bonsai, a Montezuma Cypress, to the National


title: "Taxodium mucronatum" content: Bonsai and Penjing Museum of the United States. A linear grove is located in the main courtyard of the Getty Center Art Museum, thriving since 1995. Taxodium mucronatum Taxodium mucronatum, also known as Montezuma bald cypress, Montezuma cypress, sabino, or ahuehuete is a species of "Taxodium" that is native to Mexico, and Guatemala. Ahuehuete is derived from the Nahuatl name for the tree, āhuēhuētl, which means "upright drum in water" or "old man of the water." It is a large evergreen or semi-evergreen tree growing to tall and with a trunk of diameter (occasionally much more; see below). The leaves


title: .tl content: Portal is www.timor-leste.gov.tl The previous ccTLD for East Timor was .tp. This ccTLD was, according to IANA, assigned in 1997. According to the registry, all registrants in .tp have automatically been given the equivalent domains in .tl, and no further .tp registrations are accepted. For a long time, the .tl Whois information at IANA showed no sponsoring organization or registry, and the domain did not appear to work even though the country involved was claiming to be transitioning to it. However, as of 30 September 2005, there is contact information in the IANA Whois and a registry site at nic.tl.


title: "CRH plc" content: had spent €500 million on eight acquisitions. In early May 2017, BlackRock increased its stake in CRH plc. The company's products are as follows: CRH is registered in Ireland and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It has a board of 11 members Two Directors are executives of the Group. Each of the nine remaining sits as a Non-Executive Director. Mark Towe (Chairman, CRH Americas) retired from the plc board on 31 December 2016. CRH is structured into four activities: The holding company for CRH's American operations is Oldcastle, Inc. Some of CRH's operating companies include: The following is a summary of


title: "George Gittoes" content: the Order of Australia (1997) "for service to art and international relations as an artist and photographer portraying the effects on the environment of war, international disasters and heavy industry". He was also awarded the Centenary Medal (2001) "for service as an internationally renowned artist". He was given an honorary Doctorate in Letters by the University of New South Wales in 2009. A comprehensive public solo exhibition of his work, "Witness to War", appeared at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas, in April 2011. Gittoes has received numerous awards, including the Bassel Shehade Award for Social Justice (awarded


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: Scottish Parliament Building The Scottish Parliament Building (, ) is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) held their first debate in the new building on 7 September 2004. The formal opening by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 9 October 2004. Enric Miralles, the Catalan architect who designed the building, died before its completion. From 1999 until the opening of the new building in 2004, committee rooms and the debating chamber of the


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: Scottish Parliament were housed in the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland located on The Mound in Edinburgh. Office and administrative accommodation in support of the Parliament were provided in buildings leased from the City of Edinburgh Council. The new Scottish Parliament Building brought together these different elements into one purpose-built parliamentary complex, housing 129 MSPs and more than 1,000 staff and civil servants. From the outset, the building and its construction have been controversial. The choices of location, architect, design, and construction company were all criticised by politicians, the media and the Scottish public. Scheduled to open


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: in 2001, it did so in 2004, more than three years late with an estimated final cost of £414 million, many times higher than initial estimates of between £10m and £40m. A major public inquiry into the handling of the construction, chaired by the former Lord Advocate, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, was established in 2003. The inquiry concluded in September 2004 and criticised the management of the whole project from the realisation of cost increases down to the way in which major design changes were implemented. Despite these criticisms and a mixed public reaction, the building was welcomed by architectural


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: academics and critics. The building aimed to achieve a poetic union between the Scottish landscape, its people, its culture, and the city of Edinburgh. The Parliament Building won numerous awards including the 2005 Stirling Prize and has been described by landscape architect Charles Jencks as "a tour de force of arts and crafts and quality without parallel in the last 100 years of British architecture". Comprising an area of 1.6 ha (4 acres), with a perimeter of 480 m (1570 ft), the Scottish Parliament Building is located 1 km (0.6 mi) east of Edinburgh city centre on the edge of


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: the Old Town. The large site previously housed the headquarters of the Scottish and Newcastle brewery which were demolished to make way for the building. The boundary of the site is marked by the Canongate stretch of the Royal Mile on its northern side, Horse Wynd on its eastern side, where the public entrance to the building is, and Reid's Close on its western side. Reid's Close connects the Canongate and Holyrood Road on the southwestern side of the complex. The south eastern side of the complex is bounded by the Our Dynamic Earth visitor attraction which opened in July


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: 1999, and Queen's Drive which fringes the slopes of Salisbury Crags. In the immediate vicinity of the building is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is bordered by the broad expanse of Holyrood Park. To the south of the parliamentary complex are the steep slopes of Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat. The Holyrood and Dumbiedykes areas, to the west of the site, have been extensively redeveloped since 1998, with new retail, hotel and office developments, including Barclay House, the new offices of The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Before 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign independent state which had its own


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: legislature—the Parliament of Scotland—which met, latterly, at Parliament House on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. The Treaty of Union, signed in 1707, created an incorporating political union between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England. This created the Kingdom of Great Britain. The two previous Acts of Union (one for the Parliament of England and one for the Parliament of Scotland) had dissolved the previous parliaments. The Treaty of Union created the Parliament of Great Britain which was housed in the Palace of Westminster in London. As a consequence, Scotland was directly governed from London for the next


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: 292 years without a legislature or a Parliament building of its own. Pressure for a devolved legislature of some sort grew in the 1970s with the growth of the Scottish National Party (SNP), and monies were invested into the conversion of the former Royal High School on Calton Hill into an official parliament building. Whilst much of this conversion was completed (including creation of the main debating hall) and the building was renamed New Parliament House it was determined that the facility was too small for its stated purpose (as and when that purpose arose). Following the April 1992 election,


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: when a weakened John Major was re-elected, a campaign group set up adjacent to the Royal High School at the foot of the access road to Calton Hill. Starting informally this became a permanently manned "vigil" to keep the concept in the public mind. This led to the Royal High School being the "popular" choice of site in the public (and particularly SNP) mindset. A referendum of the Scottish electorate, held on 11 September 1997, approved the establishment of a directly elected Scottish Parliament to legislate on most domestic affairs. Following this, the Scottish Office, led by the then Secretary


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: of State for Scotland, Donald Dewar, decided that a new purpose-built facility would be constructed in Edinburgh, to house the Scottish Parliament. Initially, three sites in and around Edinburgh were considered as possible locations for the building, including St Andrew's House/New Parliament House (better known as the imposing former Royal High School on Calton Hill) St Andrews House being the home of the Scottish Office—later the Scottish Government; Victoria Quay at Leith docks (adjacent to the major Scottish Office building there) and Haymarket on the vacant railway goods yard, in the west end of the city. The Holyrood site was


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: not entered into the picture until after the official closure date of the competition between the three sites. The date for announcing the winner overran and on the date of the expected announcement instead it was announced that they were going to "rethink their decision" (inferring that indeed a decision had been made) and add the Holyrood Brewery site into the running (which had only just closed). However negotiations with the brewing company Scottish and Newcastle, who owned the land, resulted in the company indicating that they would be able to vacate the site in early 1999. As a consequence,


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: the Secretary of State for Scotland agreed that the Holyrood site merited inclusion on the shortlist of proposed locations. The Scottish Office commissioned feasibility studies of the specified areas in late 1997 and in January 1998, the Holyrood site was selected from the shortlist. Following on from the site selection, the Scottish Office announced that an international competition would be held to find a designer for a new building to house the Parliament. A design committee was appointed under the chairmanship of Dewar, and was tasked with choosing from a shortlist of designs. Proposals were submitted from internationally renowned architects


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: such as Rafael Viñoly, Michael Wilford and Richard Meier. Twelve designs were selected in March 1998, which were whittled down to five by the following May. The five final designs were put on public display throughout Scotland in June 1998. Feedback from the public displays showed that the designs of the Spanish architect Enric Miralles were amongst the most popular. The design team took account of public opinion on the designs and invited all five shortlisted entrants to make presentations on their proposed designs before announcing a winner. On 6 July 1998, it was declared that the design of Enric


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: Miralles was chosen, with work being awarded to EMBT/RMJM (Scotland) Ltd, a Spanish-Scottish joint venture design company, specifically created for the project. Construction, which was undertaken by Bovis, commenced in June 1999, with the demolition of the Scottish and Newcastle brewery and the beginning of foundation work to support the structure of the building. MSPs began to move into the building complex in the Summer of 2004, with the official opening by the Queen taking place in October of the same year. Miralles sought to design a parliament building that could represent and present a national identity. This intractably difficult


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: question was tackled by displacing the question of identity into the landscape of Scotland. In a characteristically poetic approach he talked about slotting the building into the land "in the form of a gathering situation: an amphitheatre, coming out from Arthur's Seat." where the building would reflect a dialogue between the landscape and the act of people sitting. So an early goal of the design was to open the building and its public spaces, not just to Edinburgh but to a more general concept of the Scottish landscape. Miralles intended to use the parliament to help build the end of


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: Canongate—"not just another building on the street...it should reinforce the existing qualities of the site and its surroundings. In a subtle game of cross views and political implications." The result was a non-hierarchical, organic collection of low-lying buildings intended to allow views of, and blend in with, the surrounding rugged scenery and symbolise the connection between nature and the Scottish people. As a consequence the building has many features connected to nature and land, such as the leaf shaped motifs of the roof in the Garden Lobby of the building, and the large windows of the debating chamber, committee rooms


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: and the Tower Buildings which face the broad expanse of Holyrood Park, Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags. Inside the buildings, the connection to the land is reinforced by the use of Scottish rock such as gneiss and granite in the flooring and walls, and the use of oak and sycamore in the construction of the furniture. The Parliament is actually a campus of several buildings, reflecting different architectural styles, with a total floor area of 31,000 square metres (312,000 sq ft), providing accommodation for MSPs, their researchers and parliamentary staff. The buildings have a variety of features, with the most


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: distinctive external characterisation being the roof of the Tower Buildings, said to be reminiscent of upturned boats on the shoreline. The inspiration had come from Edwin Lutyens' sheds, made from upturned herring busses (boats) which Miralles saw on a visit to Lindisfarne in Northumberland. It is said that in the first design meeting, Miralles, armed with some twigs and leaves, thrust them onto a table and declared "This is the Scottish Parliament" reinforcing the unique and abstract nature of the parliamentary campus. The north-western boundaries of the site, the MSPs' building, Queensberry House and the Canongate Building reinforce the existing


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: medieval street patterns "expressing intimacy with the city and its citizens". The south-eastern aspect of the complex is extensively landscaped. Concrete "branches", covered in turf and wild grass extend from the parliamentary buildings, and provide members of the public with somewhere to sit and relax. Indigenous Scottish wildflowers and plants cover much of the area, blending the Parliament's grounds with the nearby Holyrood Park and Salisbury Crags. Oak, Rowan, Lime and Cherry trees have also been planted in the grounds. Adjacent to the landscaped area of the complex, where it meets Horse Wynd, there is an open plan piazza, with


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: bike racks, seating and external lighting shaped like rocks incorporated into concrete paving. Three distinctive water features provide the centrepiece for this area. References to Scottish culture are also reflected in the building and particularly on some of the building's elevations. There are a series of "trigger panels", constructed out of timber or granite. Not to everyone's taste, these have been said to represent anvils, hairdryers, guns, question marks or even the hammer and sickle. Shortly after the official opening of the building, Enric Miralles' widow, Benedetta Tagliabue, revealed that the design is simply that of a window curtain pulled


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: back. Her late husband however, enjoying the use of ambiguous forms with multiple meanings, had previously said he would love the profile to evoke an icon of Scottish culture, the painting of Reverend Walker skating on ice. The architectural critic Charles Jencks finds this a particularly apt metaphor for balanced movement and democratic debate and also notes the irony that Miralles too was skating on ice with his designs for the building. Elsewhere, in the public area beneath the debating chamber, the curved concrete vaults carry various stylised Saltires. Here the architect intends another metaphor; by setting the debating chamber


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: directly above the public area, he seeks to remind MSPs whilst sitting in the chamber that their power derives from the people below them. The Scottish Parliament Building is open to visitors all year round. On non-sitting days, normally Mondays, Fridays and weekends as well as during parliamentary recess periods, visitors are able to view the Main Hall of the building and can access the public galleries of the debating chamber and main committee rooms. Guided tours are also available on non-sitting days and these allow visitors access to the floor of the chamber, the Garden Lobby, Queensberry House and


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: committee rooms in the company of a parliamentary guide. On sitting days, members of the public must purchase tickets for the public galleries of both the chamber and committee rooms. The Scottish Parliament Building was designed with a number of sustainability features in mind. The decision to build the Parliament on a brownfield site and its proximity to hubs of public transport are seen as sustainable, environmentally friendly features. All of the electricity purchased for the building comes from renewable sources and solar panels on the Canongate Building are used for heating water in the complex. A high level of


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: insulation was used to keep the building warm during the winter months. This approach, however, brings with it the potential problem of overheating during the summer due to solar heat gains through the glazing, body heat and the use of computers and electric lighting. Standard solutions to the problem usually involve using energy intensive HVAC systems. The Scottish Parliament Building, however, reduces the requirements for such systems to only 20% of the accommodation by a variety of strategies. Natural ventilation is used wherever possible. A computerised management system senses the temperature in different parts of the Parliament and automatically opens


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: windows to keep the building cool. During summer months, the building opens the windows during the night time when it is unoccupied and permits the heavy concrete floors and structure to cool and rid themselves of heat absorbed during the day. This then helps to keep the building temperature down during the day by absorbing the excess heat from the glazing, occupants and electrical equipment. Some of the concrete floors are further cooled by water from 25 metres (80 ft) deep bore holes beneath the parliamentary campus which also provide water for the toilet facilities. The building achieves the highest


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: rating in the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). The debating chamber contains a shallow elliptical horseshoe of seating for the MSPs, with the governing party or parties sitting in the middle of the semicircle and opposition parties on either side, similar to other European legislatures. Such a layout is intended to blur political divisions and principally reflects the desire to encourage consensus amongst elected members. This is in contrast to the "adversarial" layout reminiscent of other Westminster style national legislatures, including the House of Commons, where government and opposition sit apart and facing one another. There are 131


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: desks and chairs on the floor of the chamber for all the elected members of the Scottish Parliament and members of the Scottish Government. The desks are constructed out of oak and sycamore and are fitted with a lectern, a microphone and in-built speakers as well as the electronic voting equipment used by MSPs. Galleries above the main floor can accommodate a total of 255 members of the public, 18 guests and 34 members of the press. The most notable feature of the chamber is the roof. The roof is supported by a structure of laminated oak beams joined with


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: a total of 112 stainless steel connectors (each slightly different), which in turn are suspended on steel rods from the walls. The connecting nodes were fabricated by welders for Scotland's oil industry. Such a structure enables the debating chamber to span over 30 metres (100 ft) without any supporting columns. In entering the chamber, MSPs pass under a stone lintel—the Arniston Stone—that was once part of the pre-1707 Parliament building, Parliament House. The use of the Arniston Stone in the structure of the debating chamber symbolises the connection between the historical Parliament of Scotland and the present day Scottish Parliament.


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: Cut into the western wall of the debating chamber are laminated glass panels, of different shapes, intended to give a human dimension to the chamber. At night, light is shone through the glass panels and is projected onto the MSPs' desks to create the impression that the chamber is never unoccupied. Natural light diffuses into the chamber and is provided by "glass fins" which run down from light spaces in the ceiling. Glimpses out of the chamber are given to the landscape and city beyond, intentionally, to visually connect the MSPs to Scotland. The necessities of a modern parliament, banks


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: of light, cameras, electronic voting and the MSPs' console have all been transformed into works of craft and art, displaying the sweeping curves and leaf motifs that inform the rest of the building. Such is the level of craftsmanship, a result of the union of Miralles' inventive designs, superb detailing by RMJM and excellent craftsmanship in execution, that Jencks was prompted to state that the [Parliament] is "an arts and crafts building, designed with high-tech flair. You really have to go back to the Houses of Parliament in London to get interior design of such a high creative level—in fact,


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: it is more creative". On 2 March 2006, a beam in the roof of the debating chamber swung loose from its hinges during a debate, resulting in the evacuation of the debating chamber and the suspension of parliamentary business. Parliament moved to other premises while the whole roof structure was inspected and remedial works were carried out. The structural engineers, Arup, stated that the problem with the collapsed beam was entirely due to the failure of one bolt and the absence of another. There was no design fault. The engineers concluded, in a report to MSPs, that the damage is


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: likely to have been done during construction work on the chamber roof, in the latter phases of the project. The report also indicated that whilst one of the bolts was missing, the other was broken and had damaged threads commensurate with being overtightened or jammed, which twisted the head off, or came close to doing so. The Garden Lobby is at the centre of the parliamentary complex and connects the debating chamber, committee rooms and administrative offices of the Tower Buildings, with Queensberry House and the MSP building. The Garden Lobby is the place where official events as well as


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: television interviews normally take place and it is used as an open social space for MSPs and parliamentary staff. The main feature of the Garden Lobby are the rooflights, which when viewed from above resemble leaves or the early Christian "vesica" shape and allow natural light into the building. The rooflights are made from stainless steel and the glasswork is covered by a lattice of solid oak struts. The route through the Garden Lobby up the main staircase to the debating chamber has been described as "one of the great processional routes in contemporary architecture." The MSP building is connected


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: to the Tower Buildings by way of the Garden Lobby and stands at the western end of the parliamentary complex, adjoining Reid's Close. The block contains offices for each MSP and two members of staff, fitted out with custom-designed furniture. The building is between four and six storeys in height, and is clad in granite. MSPs occupy 108 of the total 114 rooms in the building. Each office is divided into two parts—one for the MSP, with a floor space of 15 square metres (160 sq ft) and another part for their staff, which has a floor space of 12


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: square metres (130 sq ft). The most distinctive feature of the MSP block are the unusual windows which project out from the building onto the western elevation of the parliamentary complex, inspired by a combination of the repeated leaf motif and the traditional Scottish stepped gable. In each office, these bay windows have a seat and shelving and are intended as "contemplation spaces". Constructed from stainless steel and framed in oak, with oak lattices covering the glass, the windows are designed to provide MSPs with privacy and shade from the sun. Ahead of the opening of the Parliament, some MSPs


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: who questioned whether the design would allow sufficient natural light into their offices. To remove the uniformity from the western side of the building, the windows jut out at different widths and angles. At its north end, the building is six storeys high (ground floor plus five) stepping down to four storeys (ground floor plus three) at the south end. Four tower buildings fan out along the front, or eastern edge, of the parliamentary complex and are notable for the curvature of their roofs. The Tower Buildings are home to the public entrance of the Scottish Parliament and to the


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: Main Hall which is located on the eastern side of the parliamentary complex, beneath the debating chamber. A stone vaulted ceiling is the principal feature of the Main Hall, which has cross like representations carved into it, reminiscent of the Saltire—the national flag of Scotland. The main hall contains permanent exhibitions on the role of the Scottish Parliament, as well as public seating, a visitor information desk, a shop, lockers and a creche. Like much of the parliamentary complex, the materials used to construct the Main Hall and its vaulted ceiling include Kemnay Granite from Aberdeenshire in north east Scotland


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: and Caithness stone which is used in much of the flooring in the buildings. Connected to the Tower Buildings in the eastern portion of the complex are the Media and Canongate Buildings, which house the IT and procurement departments of the Parliament, as well as media offices and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). The centrepiece of the Canongate Building is a two-storey cantilever structure, with the building connected at one end by reinforced concrete and 18 metres (60 ft) of the building suspended above ground and protruding outwards unsupported by any columns. Originally dating from 1667, Queensberry House is


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: an example of a seventeenth century Edinburgh townhouse and contrasts with the modern architecture of the rest of the parliamentary complex. From c.1800, Queensberry House has been used as a hospital, army barracks, a refuge and a geriatric hospital. In 1996, the geriatric hospital closed and the building was incorporated into the Scottish and Newcastle brewery, who owned the surrounding site. The building has been extensively refurbished, and returned to its original height of three storeys to provide facilities for the Presiding Officer, Deputy Presiding Officers, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament and various parliamentary support staff. Internally and


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: externally the building has been strengthened with reinforced steel and concrete. The original timber flooring has been replaced throughout with a mixture of carpet, vinyl, oak and Caithness stone. Queensberry House also contains the Donald Dewar Room, dedicated to the founding First Minister of Scotland who died in October 2000. The room hosts the personal collection of books and other memorabilia donated to the Parliament by the family of Donald Dewar after his death. The Scottish Parliament holds a wide variety of artwork and sculpture ranging from specially commissioned pieces to official gifts from overseas parliamentary delegations. The intention of


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: including artwork and sculptures in the building reinforces the desire of Miralles that the project should reflect the nature of Scotland, particularly its land and people. In order to facilitate the incorporation of art into the building, a consultative steering group was established by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) under the chairmanship of Jamie Stone MSP with the remit of deciding which artworks should be chosen. Some pieces of artwork are on public display in the building. As well as artwork and sculptures, quotations, furniture and photography have been commissioned as part of the art strategy. A range of


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: quotations have been inscribed onto the stonework in and around the parliamentary complex. Beneath the Canongate Building façade is the Canongate Wall, constructed from a variety of indigenous Scottish rocks such as Lewisian gneiss, Torridonian sandstone and Easdale slate. The stones are set into large concrete casts, each one inscribed with a quotation. The Canongate Wall contains a total of 24 quotations. Etched along the lower stretch of the wall is a pictorial representation of the Old Town of Edinburgh-based around a sketch by Enric Miralles showing the view of the Old Town from his bedroom window in the Balmoral


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: Hotel. The Main Hall of the Parliament contains a number of distinctive features and sculptures, including the gold-plated "Honours of Scotland" sculpture. Presented by the Queen upon the opening of the Parliament building, the sculpture is modelled on the actual Honours of Scotland, the crown, sceptre and the sword of the state, and combines these three separate elements into one composition. During meetings of the original Parliament of Scotland, the actual Honours were always present but since 1819 they have been permanently housed in Edinburgh Castle. The 11 m (36 ft) long Visitor Information Desk also stands in the Main


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: Hall. Commissioned by the art strategy group, the desk combines a unique design constructed from oak and sycamore and functions as a workstation for six members of parliamentary staff. At a cost of £88,000 the desk has been criticised by some over its price and functionality. Another feature gifted to the Scottish Parliament by the Queen, following its inauguration in July 1999, is the parliamentary mace. The mace is housed in a glass case in the debating chamber and has a formal, ceremonial role during meetings of the Parliament. The mace sits in front of the Presiding Officers' desk and


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: is made from silver and inlaid with gold panned from Scottish rivers and inscribed with the words "Wisdom", "Compassion", "Justice" and "Integrity". The words "There shall be a Scottish Parliament" (which are the first words of the Scotland Act 1998), are inscribed around the head of the mace. At the beginning of each session in the chamber, the case is removed to symbolise that a full meeting of the Parliament is taking place. Public reaction to the design of the building has been mixed. In the first 6 months of the building being open to the public, 250,000 people visited


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: it, which Presiding Officer George Reid has said showed the public were "voting with their feet". Critics of the building, such as Margo MacDonald MSP, have pointed out that the high number of visitors does not prove that all of them like the building. As well as cost, criticisms of the building stem primarily from the modernist and abstract architecture, the quality of the building work and the location of the building. The mixed public reaction contrasts sharply with the response from architectural critics. Its rampant complexity, iconography and layering of meaning and metaphor are widely regarded as producing a


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: building which is "quite a meal". This prompted Catherine Slessor, writing in the "Architectural Review", to describe it as "A Celtic-Spanish cocktail to blow both minds and budgets, it doesn't play safe, energetically mining a new seam of National Romanticism refined and reinterpreted for the twenty-first century." Jencks attempted to dampen criticism of the cost overruns by questioning how 'value for money' might be judged. For him, the building is not just a functional or economic enterprise, it is an exploration of national identity and in comparing it to other comparable assemblies, not least the Palace of Westminster, he argues


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: the cost is comparable. The conception of the building has been singled out for praise, particularly in the way it re-establishes Scotland's traditional focus towards mainland Europe and its values by means of the layout of the non-adversarial debating chamber and the creation of the public spaces in front of the building, "where people can meet and express themselves as a force". In an era of the Bilbao effect and the iconic building, Jencks is impressed that rather than being a monumental building, as is usual for capital landmarks, the building creates a complex union of nature and culture that


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: nestles itself into the landscape. The building has also won a number of awards, including an award at the VIII Biennial of Spanish Architecture, the RIAS Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture, and the 2005 Stirling Prize, the UK's most prestigious architecture award. The inclusion of the Scottish Parliament Building on the shortlist for the Stirling Prize in 2004, led the judges to describe the building as "a statement of sparkling excellence". In October 2005 the building was identified as Scotland's 4th greatest modern building by readers of "Prospect" magazine. In 2004 the satirical magazine Private Eye also conferred the building


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: with their Sir Hugh Casson Award for "worst new building of the year". The construction of the Scottish Parliament Building has generated controversy in several respects. Rising costs and the use of public money to fund the project generated most controversy. Initial estimates for constructing a new building were projected to be between £10m and £40m in 1997. By early 2004, the estimated final cost of the project was set at £430m, some ten times greater. Notwithstanding the level of controversy surrounding cost, the Scottish Parliament Building proved controversial in a number of other respects: the decision to construct a


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: new building, the choice of site, the selection of a non-Scottish architect, and the selection of Bovis as construction manager after having earlier been excluded from the shortlist. In 1997, the initial cost of constructing a new Parliament building was given as £40 million, a figure produced by the Scottish Office, prior to the September 1997 devolution referendum, and subsequently revealed to be the figure for housing MSPs. Further controversy surrounding the project sprang from the selection of the Holyrood site, which was a late entrant onto the list of sites to be considered, and the rejection of the Royal


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: High School on Calton Hill, long thought to be the home of any future devolved Scottish Parliament. After a formal visit to the Royal High School by Dewar and his aides on 30 May 1997, it was rejected as unsuitable on the grounds of size and location. Control of the building project passed from the Scottish Office to the cross-party Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) on 1 June 1999, headed by the Parliament's then Presiding Officer, Sir David Steel, at a time of increasing costs. Rising costs sprang from the need for a formal entrance and the need to accommodate


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: parliamentary staff in light of better knowledge of how Parliament was working at its primary location on the Royal Mile, where it was clear there were staff overcrowding problems. With the cost increases in mind, and heightened media interest in the Holyrood Project, the Members of the Scottish Parliament held a debate on whether to continue with construction on 17 June 1999 voting by a majority of 66 to 57 in favour to complete the project. In August 1999, the architect informed the project group that the Parliament would need to be further increased in size by 4,000 square metres


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: (43,000 sq ft). A subsequent costing revealed that taking into account the increased floorspace net construction costs had risen to £115m by September 1999. Early in 2000, the SPCB commissioned an independent report by the architect John Spencely. The report concluded that savings of 20% could be made on the current project and that scrapping the project completely at that stage or moving to another site would entail additional costs of £30m. Spencely also cited poor communication between the SPCB and construction officials as increasingly costly. Given the outcomes of the Spencely report, MSPs voted to continue with the construction


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: project on the Holyrood site in a debate in the Scottish Parliament on 5 April 2000. The project was also complicated by the deaths of Miralles in July 2000, of Dewar the following October and the existence of a multi-headed client consisting of the SPCB, the Presiding Officer and an architectural advisor. The client took over the running of the project from the Scottish Executive (formerly the Scottish Office) while it was already under construction. Subsequently, the events of 9/11 led to further design changes, especially with regard to security, which again resulted in rising costs. However, it was later


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: rejected that the re-designs required to incorporate greater security into the building structure were the "single biggest" factor affecting the increased costs of the project. By March 2004 the cost had reached the sum of £430m (compared to an original budget of £55m in July 1998 when the architects were appointed). This equates to £85 for each of the 5.1 million people in Scotland. A report published by the Auditor General for Scotland in July 2004 specifically identified elements that contributed to both increasing costs and the delay in completing the project. His report criticised the overall management of the


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: project and stated that had the management and construction process been executed better, costs could have been reduced. The report attempted to identify the reasons why there had been an acceleration in cost from £195m in September 2000 to £431m in February 2004 and concluded that over 2000 design changes to the project were a major factor. The building was finally certified for occupation in the Summer of 2004, with the official opening in October of the same year, three years behind schedule. In May 2003 the First Minister, Jack McConnell, announced a major public inquiry into the handling of


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: the building project. The inquiry (known as the Holyrood Inquiry, or the Fraser Inquiry) was headed by Lord Fraser of Carmyllie and held at the Scottish Land Court in Edinburgh. The inquiry took evidence from architects, civil servants, politicians and the building companies. Evidence was taken over the course of 49 hearings and the final report ran to 300 pages. Presenting his report in September 2004, Lord Fraser told how he was "astonished" that year after year the ministers who were in charge were kept so much in the dark over the increases in cost estimates. He also stated that


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: a Parliament building of sufficient scale could never have been built for less than £50m, and was "amazed" that the belief that it could be was perpetuated for so long. He believed that from at least April 2000, when MSPs commissioned the Spencely Report to decide whether the building should continue, it should have been realised that the building was bound to cost in excess of £200m. Furthermore, £150m of the final cost was wasted as a result of design delays, over-optimistic programming and uncertain authority. Despite having only an outline design, the designers RMJM/EMBT (Scotland) Ltd stated without foundation


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: that the building could be completed within a £50m budget. Nevertheless, these estimates were believed by officials. The two architectural practices in the RMJM and EMBT joint venture operated dysfunctionally and failed to communicate effectively with each other and the project manager. The death of Miralles also gave rise to a substantial period of disharmony. The Brief emphasised the importance of design and quality over cost, and was not updated despite considerable evolution of the design. Ministers were not informed of grave concerns within the Scottish Office over the cost of the project and officials failed to take the advice


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: of the cost consultants. The Scottish Office decided to procure the construction work under a "construction management contract", rather than under a Private Finance Initiative, in order to speed construction, but without properly evaluating the financial risks of doing so, and – in a decision that Fraser stated "beggars belief" – without asking Ministers to approve it. This was one of the two most flawed decisions which the report singled out, the other was the insistence on a rigid programme. Officials decided that rapid delivery of the new building was to be the priority, but that quality should be maintained.


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: It was therefore inevitable that the cost would suffer. The client was obsessed with early completion and failed to understand the impact on cost and the completion date if high-quality work and a complex building were required. In attempting to achieve early completion, the management contractor produced optimistic programmes, to which the architects were unwise to commit. The main causes of the slippage were delays in designing a challenging project that was to be delivered against a tight timetable using an unusual procurement route. The inquiry was widely seen as clearing Donald Dewar for the initial mishandling of the project.


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: This came after speculation suggesting that Dewar was aware that the initial costs of a new Parliament Building, circulated to the public, were too low. However, in his report, Lord Fraser stated "there was no evidence whatsoever, that he [Dewar] deliberately or knowingly misled MSPs. He relied on cost figures given to him by senior civil servants." The inquiry also resisted the temptation to "lay all of the blame at the door of a deceased wayward architectural genius [Miralles]...costs rose because the client wanted increases and changes or at least approved of them in one manifestation or other." In his


title: "Scottish Parliament Building" content: report, Lord Fraser set out a number of recommendations stemming from the inquiry. Primarily, in terms of design selection and when using an international architect linking with a Scottish-based firm, the report advised that a full analysis of the compatibility of different working cultures and practices needs to be made. Lord Fraser advocated that when "construction management" contracts were used, civil servants or local government officials should evaluate the risks of such a contract and set out the advantages and disadvantages of embarking upon such a route before their political superiors. Alongside that recommendation, Lord Fraser stated that independent advisors