Edinburgh University and College of Art schools to join forces after a century

Separately, they have produced some of Britain's finest architects who have designed such iconic structures as the Falkirk Wheel and Coventry Cathedral, but the architecture schools at the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh College of Art (eca) are to join forces and create the Edinburgh School of Architecture with the aim of making it one of the best in the UK.

The two schools are less than half a mile apart, yet have operated independently for almost a century. This is about to change dramatically.

"The Edinburgh School of Architecture will have both identities and will, we hope, create an even stronger identity," said Ian Howard, principal of eca. "Cynics might say both institutions aren't in the top 10 in the UK at the moment, but the joint institution could very quickly be in the top 10."

Practical as well as competitive forces have prompted the merger. Since 2004, for instance, the university has accredited all eca's degrees, meaning that architecture students from each institution have completed different programmes yet ended up with the same degree. "It's a bit difficult when you're in China trying to explain the difference between the two, so we're bringing them together," said Howard.

Frank Gribben, registrar for the college of humanities and social science at the University of Edinburgh, said the merger would make the new school more bullish on a national level.

He said: "I would say we have a good quality of architectural education, but other people are regarded as better. So I'd hope we'd be stronger in competition together than we have been separately. Competition is a fact of life in higher education, competition for students, grants and reputation, so we want to face that with confidence. We believe we'll do that with greater confidence when we combine our resources."

He added: "Art colleges can be quirky and interesting places, where universities can be conservative. It's good for our academic souls to be mixing with art school people."

The new school is the most visible aspect of the eca and university's recent academic federation. A joint graduate school is another proposed project.

The Edinburgh School of Architecture will come into being for the 2009/10 academic year. At the moment, the two schools are officially separate, with around 300 students each.

Notable graduates of eca include Sir Basil Spence, who designed Coventry Cathedral and is currently celebrated in an exhibition touring the UK. The University of Edinburgh can boast Sir Robert Lorimer, who designed the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle, among its graduates. Robert Adam also studied there.

Reaction to the plan among alumni of each school has been broadly positive. Tony Kettle graduated from eca 22 years ago and now is UK managing director of RMJM, winning awards for designing the Falkirk Wheel and the Dubai International Convention Centre. He said the move made sense.

"To have one place of world-class learning has got to be better for students than two competing schools," he said. "It should be a hothouse for new thinking. And being combined, it gives them a chance to re-do things and think about things in a much bigger way, about their global responsibilities and other issues, whereas at the minute they're shortsighted."

Rab Bennett of Bennetts Associates, a member of eca's class of 1977, said he always thought having two different schools of architecture within 400 yards of each other was "absurd".

"I'm optimistic, as I usually am, of what could come from such a merger," he said. "I just hope that the new school doesn't get so big that it becomes too big for a given year and the link with studio teaching becomes lost. That's absolutely critical."

He added that this was the perfect chance to rewrite the curriculum and help promote the new institution.

"There's no reason why it shouldn't be one of the best schools in the UK - it has good teaching and the most fantastic city to study architecture in." he said. "At last count there were about 38 architecture schools in the country. There are a handful considered to be the best, like Bath, the Architectural Academy; and there's every reason for Edinburgh to be up in that group. This is the opportunity they should be taking to make sure it's in the top half-dozen in the country."

Not all the architectural community is as positive about the merger. Richard Murphy graduated from the University of Edinburgh's architecture school, and set up his own practice based in Edinburgh's Old Town in 1991. Notable projects include the Dundee Contemporary Arts centre and the Eastgate Theatre & Arts Centre in Peebles. He admits he is "agnostic" about the move.

"I'm not a great believer in bigger is better'," he said. "I don't expect miracles. It's not going to produce a world- famous school of architecture just because two schools are merging. But I think it's not a bad idea in the sense that you have two schools within half-a-mile of each other, who in my experience hardly spoke to one another, let alone do anything collaboratively.

"But we'll see how it works out. I suspect that not much will change, to be honest with you."