EDINBURGH.- The Royal Scottish Academy announced that internationally acclaimed architect Amanda Levete RA, founder and director of AL_A, will deliver the 2026 RSA Metzstein Architecture Discourse in Edinburgh this September.

One of the Academy’s major annual architecture events, the Metzstein Discourse brings leading architects to Scotland to share their ideas and approaches. Amanda Levete RA follows previous speakers including Peter Barber RA OBE, Rafael Moneo, Peter Zumthor, Glenn Murcutt and Grafton Architects.

Amanda Levete founded AL_A in 2009, an architecture studio that focuses on creating spaces that promote reciprocity between nature and neighbourhood. She is a winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize and has led the practice on major cultural projects. Among AL_A’s projects is the Exhibition Road Quarter at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which created a new entrance, courtyard and gallery. AL_A recently completed the renovation and extension of the Paisley Art Institute, bringing Levete’s work into direct dialogue with Scotland’s cultural landscape.

The RSA Metzstein Architecture Discourse was established in 2014 in memory of Isi Metzstein OBE RSA, the influential architect, teacher and former RSA Treasurer. Metzstein was a partner of the Glasgow practice Gillespie Kidd & Coia and an influential tutor at both the Mackintosh School of Architecture and the University of Edinburgh. The Discourse was established to continue his legacy and bring some of the world’s leading architects to Scotland.





Academicians Miranda Webster and Rab Bennetts OBE, who invited Amanda to deliver this year’s Discourse, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Amanda Levete to this year's RSA Metzstein Architecture Discourse. At a moment when the transformation of Paisley Museum is nearing completion, her visit offers a timely opportunity to reflect on architecture's role in shaping civic life, cultural identity and belonging in Scotland. The RSA is proud to provide a platform for these important conversations, continuing the legacy of the Metzstein Discourse and its commitment to architectural debate.’

The 2026 Discourse is presented as part of the RSA’s bicentenary year, marking 200 years since the Academy was founded in 1826. Architecture has been central to the RSA’s history since its foundation, and the Academy recently explored the themes Beginning(s) and Unbuilt, with work by RSA Academicians and previous Metzstein Discoursers on view at the 200th Annual Exhibition.