Announced by cabinet secretary Fiona Hyslop on during the Festival of Architecture’s finale Light Nights event in Dundee on Friday, the winning entry was one of 100 buildings of the past 100 years selected by an expert panel from a list of more than 400 nominated by the public.

In August the top 10 buildings were announced at the Festival of Politics and voting reopened. The shortlist included the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh and Dundee’s Repertory Theatre.

Nestling in the heart of Glasgow’s Style Mile, the B-listed Princes Square was revamped in 1987 to create the luxury, multi-level shopping centre.

Architects Hugh Martin & Partners have won numerous awards for their renovation of the off-street courtyard including RIBA Scottish Regional Award for Architecture (1988), the Edinburgh Architectural Association Centenary Medal (1989), and a Civic Trust Award (1989). The brief was to preserve and restore the original buildings but create a modern shopping and dining venue of quality and distinction with an emphasis on style. The distinctive main entrance with giant metal peacock; symmetrical criss-cross escalators and spiral staircases all add to the unique appearance of the building.

The best building vote was part of the Scotstyle event - an exhibition, documenting Scotland’s top 100 buildings of the past 100 years, which visited over 30 venues, travelling from Dumfries to Stromness and Kirkcaldy to Stornoway.

Neil Baxter, RIAS secretary and co-editor of Scotstyle, said: “The Festival of Architecture has tapped into a keen public appetite for architecture and events on an architectural theme. With over 460 events and well over a million participants, it is the most substantial ever year-long celebration of a single art form in Scotland’s history. Princes Square is a worthy popular choice for the best building of the last 100 years.”

Cabinet secretary for culture, tourism and external affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: “From galleries and libraries to train stations and shopping centres, Scotstyle 2016 has toured the length and breadth of Scotland, allowing members of the public the chance to vote for Scotland’s favourite building from the last 100 years. Princes Square is clearly a worthy winner and I would like to thank all those who took the time to vote.

“The 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design has been instrumental in shining the spotlight on Scotland’s many achievements in innovation, architecture and design in the fields of engineering, fashion, textiles, creative industries, science and technology to name but a few. It has also set a very strong context for the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology and in the build-up to the 2018 year of Young People.”

Main image courtesy of Princes Square, all other images courtesy of Jean O’Reilly