The building shows annually 15-20 exhibitions a year, many of which are of international stature. For example, The Lighthouse has also exhibited at Venice Biennale 2005, Milan Design Fair and London Design Festival 2005. Forthcoming exhibitions include Marcel Breuer - Design and Architecture; Handmade - a worldwide graphic artists’ poster collection and Design Medal - the annual student design awards.

The Lighthouse is operated as a charitable trust, its income coming from a combination of public and private funds. Out of an annual turnover of £2.5 million, over £2 million is earned income derived from a range of sources, including substantial government grants to promote its Architecture Policy for Scotland and key policy priorities in the economy, lifelong learning, social inclusion and neighbourhood renewal. There is a staff compliment of 55; over half are funded by grants from government or other sources.

The Lighthouse also contains a Charles Rennie Mackintosh interpretation centre and a dedicated education floor extending to 1000 square metres, including workshop, computer laboratory, gallery space and an innovative project called the Urban Learning Space. There is also a conference centre, shop and two cafe/restaurants.

The Lighthouse runs conferences and events including a Creative Entrepreneurs Club for practitioners in the cultural industries and a Forum for Innovation in Public Art. The Lighthouse also plays a leading role in several key networks including the European Forum on Architecture, The Bureau of European Design Associations and the European Design Forum. It is the lead body on design in Scotland.

http://www.thelighthouse.co.uk