Top designers from around the world will be invited to battle it out for the job of transforming Perth City Hall.
Council chiefs are poised to launch a competition to find an architect to lead the long-awaited redevelopment, ending more than a decade of uncertainty.
A similar contest was held to select the designer of Dundee’s V&A.
The landmark Perth building, which has stood empty since 2005, is being revived as part of a £36 million revamp of the city’s cultural offerings.
Perth and Kinross Council leader Ian Miller announced in June that the building would be turned into a visual arts venue. The project is at the heart of Perth’s ambitious bid for City of Culture status.
Originally, it was proposed that the hall would become a new home for the Stone of Destiny. The Courier understands that the local authority is now considering housing the artefact at the city’s existing museum and art gallery as part of its “ancient roots” theme.
This will free-up the hall to become a new attraction for visual and modern arts with a “modern Scots” narrative.
The revamped venue is expected to attract 160,000 extra visitors each year.
A council spokeswoman said: “The development of city hall is a key element of the 2021 City of Culture bid.
“The ambition is to carry out an open design competition to attract innovative design concepts and to raise the profile of the project in the local community and beyond.”
She said the approach would result in a shortlist of two or three designers whose plans would be assessed by a panel.
As well as the council and the Culture Perth and Kinross team, the panel may also include representatives of the Royal Incorporation of Architects and Historic Environment Scotland, the body which previously blocked plans to demolish the building.
She added: “The main constructor contractor would also be involved, to provide advice on the affordability and the build-ability of proposed designs.”
The spokeswoman said councillors will be asked to formally back the competition approach on Wednesday.
It is favoured over the more traditional method of drawing up an in-house design before appointing a contractor.
“A design competition brings benefits of stimulating creative, innovative thinking about a transformed city hall and offers the opportunity for leading talent to present their proposals,” she said.
Hubco (the East Centre Hub Initiative) is expected to appointed as “procurement vehicle” to work with the council on the competition process.
Meanwhile, a new building to hold some of the council’s vast arts collection could be built at an empty plot in Inveralmond South Business Park, off Auld Bond Road.
The council said that, due to the nature of the building — a large controlled environment store — a design competition was not required.
