Last year Perth & Kinross Council voted to develop City Hall as a new cultural attraction as part of the city’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021, ending more than a decade of uncertainty about the landmark building’s future.

The venue will be designed to display the Perth and Kinross collections which are of national significance, iconic loans from across the UK/elsewhere, and major touring exhibitions.

​Together with the transformed Perth Museum and Art Gallery the two venues will tell the story of Perth’s place at the heart of Scotland’s story: how the ancient roots of Scotland were forged in Perth through the Kingdom of Alba, and how Modern Scots including the painter John Duncan Fergusson shaped the modern world.

The successful architect is likely to be confirmed by the end of 2017 and construction work will start on the Hall in early 2019 with opening scheduled for early 2021.

The brief, which is being issued on the council’s behalf by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), invites architects to apply for the pre-qualifying stage of the competition. Qualifying architects will then be asked to develop more detailed plans for consideration. Their overall design approaches will go on public display.

A panel of project representatives will assess the architectural teams and make a recommendation to the Project Board as to which architect should be chosen to come up with a final design.

Councillor Ian Miller, council leader and chair of the Perth2021 Programme Board, said: “We want to deliver a 21st century attraction which is both rooted in our unique local culture and is of world class quality. The City Hall competition is a once in a lifetime opportunity to deliver an international attraction in the heart of our Fair City.  That is the brief we want architects to respond to and we look forward to seeing the proposals which the competition will generate.”

Helen Smout, chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, which delivers and develops museum and library services in the region, added: “City Hall and its redesign is a crucial element to the continued development of culture and arts in Perth and Kinross, and to Perth’s UK City of Culture bid. Culture Perth and Kinross hopes this competition will attract architects who can help showcase City Hall for what it’s going to be – cornerstone of the region’s burgeoning cultural scene and a place to showcase our own important collections alongside an exhibition programme of national and international significance.”