A WINDOW pane in the Scottish Parliament smashed apart and plummeted to the ground near a staff entrance in the latest architectural mishap to hit the building.
Glass from a skylight on the Ministerial Tower’s fourth floor landed near the Cannongate entrance in Edinburgh yesterday.
The window shattered after a neighbouring window blew open in yesterday’s high winds and smashed into it.
Staff swept up the debris for much of yesterday and are making sure the entrance is safe.
A Parliament spokeswoman said the window did not belong to any particular minister.
The spokeswoman said: “A window in the Ministerial Tower, which wasn’t properly secured, blew open in the high winds and broke a pane of glass in an adjacent window.
“Our focus is now on removing the debris to allow the Canongate entrance to be re-opened.”
The window provides light for a “general staff area”.
The Parliament building, which cost more than £400million, has suffered other architectural failures since it opened in 2004.
Designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles, the building holds offices for the country’s 129 MSPs as well as the main debating chamber.
In 2006, a roof beam became dislodged over the debating chamber, prompting an evacuation.
The 12ft-long beam was left dangling over the area where the Conservative group of MSPs sit.
The building has also suffered problems with cladding slabs in the past.
The building also came in at far over its original budget.
According to 1997 plans the Scottish Parliament was meant to cost no more than £40m.
But during the construction this rocketed to an astronomical £414m and opened its doors years behind schedule.
