History
With over 70 years in business, we have an unrivalled collective knowledge of the property and construction industry in Scotland and beyond.
1950s
Michael Laird left the office of William Kininmonth in 1954, and started in practice with partner Will Redpath under the name Structor. In 1957, the partnership dissolved, and Michael Laird Architects was created, trading out of Castle Street and, with the need for more space, moved to Moray place in 1960.
James Allan & Son on Princes Street in Edinburgh was an early commission.
1960s
New staff members were joining the practice thick and fast as the workload increased with jobs such as George Watson’s music school (1964) and an extension for Standard Life on St Andrew Square (1968) keeping the practice busy. The company changed to Michael Laird & Partners in 1967.
The music School at George Watsons with its famous parabolic roof.
The Garry Bridge in Perthshire had some MLA input!
An original sketch of the Astley Ainslie Children's Hospital in Edinburgh
The auditorium at George Watson's Music School.
1970s
More work meant an increasing amount of staff, and in 1972 the main architectural part of the office moved to the current premises on 5 Forres Street. Highlights in this decade included the King’s Buildings for Edinburgh University and another extension for Standard Life, this time on George Street.
Standard Life on St Andrews Square in Edinburgh combined the original HQ with a new office building.
The boiler house at Edinburgh University's King's Buildings - the chimney still stands today!
Another view of the Standard Life building.
1980s
The 1980’s brought a new variety of work to the practice. We completed the Fettes Row Data Centre for RBS and a manufacturing plant in Livingston for W.L. Gore, both buildings we would refurbish in the future. The partnership also created the futuristic Cameron Toll Shopping Centre!
Getting in on the industrial scene at an early stage!
MLA had a very recognisable aesthetic in the 80's...
1990s
The 90’s brought about the cementing of long relationships with blue chip clients as they expanded. The partnership designed the celebrated Tanfield House and also the HQ building on Lothian Road, both for Standard Life, with large office buildings for RBS and Midlothian Council’s HQ rounding off a productive decade!
The seminal HQ for Standard Life on Edinburgh's Lothian Road remains pretty much unchanged to this day.
The roof garden of Standard Life's Tanfield building was an early example of a green roof.
A lot of work came in from RBS.
Midlothian Council's new HQ was completed at the turn of the Milennium.
A piece of modern history - the internal atrium at Standard Life's HQ
2000s
The noughties saw a change from partnership to limited company and a new style of architecture as ‘new blood’ took over, with Edinburgh Quay, RBS' Gogarburn HQ campus , EHQ1 at South Gyle, Lochrin Square and many other large projects all being completed before the economic downturn took hold towards the end of the decade.
RBS's HQ at Gogarburn was a major step up in scale for the practice.
A new HQ for Scottish Water is still in Fairmilehead today.
Excel House, completed in 2001, has recently undergone a full refurbishment, again by MLA.
Westport 102 was a major addition to the west of the old town.
Edinburgh Quay was a major mixed use project for both MLA and Edinburgh!
2010s
A quiet start to the 2010’s didn’t last for long as we embarked on new ventures and sectors with a more diverse range of clients than ever before. With projects including new offices for Ineos, a distillery for Hendricks, major workplace fit-outs for Cirrus Logic and KPMG and, memorably, the City of Glasgow College Campus all completed, it was a defining decade for MLA!
2020s
Despite the pandemic, we are larger, more divers and busier than ever! Please check out our projects page to see some of our most recent work…
