The Herald

One of Scotland's leading architects has won a competition to represent the country at a top international design festival. Gareth Hoskins will design Gathering Space, the Scottish presence at the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale, it will be announced tomorrow. More than 50 architectural practices entered the competition to create the official pavilion, which will be the centre for a series of discussions, film screenings and events including a British Council debate. Hoskins's design will see a set of stairs built in Venice, which will enclose both an indoor auditorium, for 100 people, and an outdoor area seating 200 people. It will be built entirely from sustainably sourced or reclaimed timber. Hoskins said: "Public stairs as seating has had a long tradition of being a type of informal gathering place. Precedents include the Spanish Steps in Rome and the entrance stairs at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. These places are vital to the urban environment."