RENOWNED architect Gareth Hoskins, who redesigned the National Museum of Scotland and was behind the hotel plan for the old Royal High School in Edinburgh, has died.

Mr Hoskins, 48, is believed to have suffered a heart attack at a fencing event being held at Fettes College last weekend. He is said to have passed away on Saturday evening.

A highly respected figure among his field, Edinburgh-born Mr Hoskins trained at the Glasgow School of Art and Florence University. He went on to set up Hoskins Architects in Glasgow in 1998, the firm of which he was managing director.

Among his many accolades was winning the UK Young Architect of the Year in 2000, UK Architect of the Year in 2006 and Scottish Architect of the Year three years later.

The Herald's obituary of Gareth Hoskins

He served as an advisor to the Royal Institute of British Architects, was a design panel member of the Scottish Government’s design “watchdog” Architecture and Design Scotland, and between 2006 and 2010 held the post of the Scottish Government’s National Healthcare Design Champion.

Hoskins Architects collaborated on the design for the Athletes’ Village at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and in 2008 was commissioned to create the masterplan for American tycoon Donald Trump's controversial £1 billion golf resort near Aberdeen.

Other past projects include the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Aberdeen Art Gallery and Berlin City Library, the German city where Hoskins Architects also has offices.

Most recently, Mr Hoskins oversaw the proposals for the old Royal High School in the Scottish capital.

Councillors in Edinburgh rejected plans for a £75m five-star hotel luxury hotel on the site, one of the UK’s most treasured neo-classical buildings, last month.

Chris Coleman-Smith, a co-director of Hoskins Architects, said: “Everyone at Hoskins Architects has lost an exceptional architect, a visionary and a gifted leader, but above all a very good friend.

"Gareth leaves a huge gap, he was such a special person. We appreciate the very many messages of condolence that have already been received.”

There will be a private family funeral and a memorial service for Mr Hoskins is planned to be held at a later date.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon posted on Twitter: “Very sad to hear of the death of Gareth Hoskins, one of Scotland's finest architects. My thoughts with his family.”

Willie Watt, president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, described the news as a "tremendous loss to architecture".

He said: "As all who knew him will also testify, he was a very nice man who, despite his success and growing fame, was invariably modest. As a practitioner and teacher, he excelled. Scottish architecture is much the lesser with his parting."

Professor Christopher Platt, head of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art, said that Mr Hoskins was "one of the most accomplished architects of his generation in the UK."

He said: "For those of us who knew him, he was an indefatigable, energetic force for architecture who, at a very young age, set up what has become one of the UK's most versatile and distinguished practices.

"He was a natural communicator, a gifted designer and dedicated family man. He will be missed by many family friends within and outwith the architectural profession."

Professor Alan Dunlop, fellow with the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, paid tribute to the versatility and reach of Mr Hoskins's work.

He said: "Gareth was an architect who was able to design new, as with the Mareel Cinema and Music Venue as in Shetland and work creatively with significant, historic buildings as in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

"He was also an astute practitioner and advocate for the profession in Scotland and he will be missed."

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, also added her condolences.

She said: “Gareth Hoskins was an outstanding architect. His death at such a young age is a shock to the profession and a great loss for our country.

“His many highly-regarded projects have contributed a great deal to improving the quality of the built environment here in Scotland as well as raising the profile of Scottish architecture internationally. In his work abroad, he was an exemplary ambassador for Scotland and its architecture.”

Michael Clarke, director at the Scottish National Gallery, said: “The Galleries were deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death of Gareth Hoskins, one of Scotland’s leading and most respected architects.

“In 2014, his firm was appointed to transform the spaces devoted to Scottish art at the Scottish National Gallery; his outstanding design for this ambitious project will stand, as will other major projects both in this country and abroad, as a memorial to his exceptional talent.

“We send our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.”