Old Town Fire Ideas Competition
Edinburgh
Fire winning submissions
Now this architecture competition is over this page will continue to grow
as a resource
An exhibition ran at the Matthew
Gallery, Chambers St until 11 Apr
then at the RIAS until 30 May
then at EWHT until Jul, all 2003
view south down blair st
details from blair st
view from top of tenement on east side of south bridge
context of Niddry St South: runs parallel to East of South Bridge
east side of south bridge where it crosses the cowgate: south (left),
north (right)
view from south end of blair st to south-east: south bridge to top
view from south end of blair st to south: kininmonth's adam house top
right
12-17.02.03 all © khairul khalifah
view west along cowgate, fire site to left
view from south end of blair st to south: kininmonth's
adam house top right
view from south end of blair st to south-east: south bridge to top
views from top of tenement on east side of south bridge
view south along south bridge, fire site to right
east side of south bridge where it crosses the cowgate: north (left),
south (right)
11.02.03 all © adrian welch
25.01.03 © adrian welch
Gilded Balloon arcade about to be hoarded up
10.01.03 © dan frydman of inigo media ltd
Global Architecture Websites that listed this competition:-
aleph (france) www.kubos.org
archioz (australia) www.archioz.com.au
archguide (belgium) www.nav.be
architectureroom (uk) www.thearchitectureroom.com
nextroom (austria) www.nextroom.at
arkitera (turkey) www.arkitera.com
arquired (mexico) www.arquired.com.mx
kvasir (norway) http://search.kvasir.no
todoarquitectura (spain, central & south america) www.todoarquitectura.com
soloarquitectura (latin america) www.soloarquitectura.com/noticias.html
arqchile (chile) www.arqchile.cl/concursos.htm
archijob (israel) www.archijob.com
© adrian welch
southbridge.org.uk is an unofficial competition site for architects, design
students and the public to suggest ways to use the site.
it will be open to anyone, wherever you are to submit your ideas.
To take part, visit the site, enter your name and email address and we'll
send out information on the competition rules and prizes!
international competition by:
inigo media + www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk
© adrian welch
"Edinburgh is what Paris ought to be. Its magnificent architecture
shifts from the lofty buildings of its medieval Old Town as they tumble
down the spine of the Royal Mile
to the grace of the Georgian New Town". Robert Louis Stevenson
"Social inequality is nowhere more ostentatious than at Edinburgh...to
look over the South Bridge and see the Cowgate below full of crying hawkers,
is to view one rank of society from another in the twinkling of an eye".
Robert Louis Stevenson
© adrian welch
useful link
www.cadking.co.uk
edinburgh fire: comment- many of the links may now malfunction
so they have been left but 'unlinked'
“The Cockburn Association has criticised building height restrictions
imposed by city officials on the Cowgate site, which was devastated by
the Old Town blaze in December.”
http://www.edinburghnews.com/index.cfm?id=868912003
09.08.03
news story
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2002/12/21/pfire21.xml
"buildings destroyed in Edinburgh’s Old Town fire would be
replaced with "simple, modern and contextual architecture enclosing
a central square and incorporating historic closes". Malcolm Fraser
revealed his vision for the renewal of the site...and said he had no intention
of building a "grand gesture" or a monument to the past....the
replacement would involve both traditional stone masonry as well as more
modern elements and glass to allow lots of light into the site. The heart
of the new development, which is expected to be the same height as its
predecessor, will be defined by a central square, from which there will
fan out a series of new closes and broad steps linking the site to the
Cowgate and surrounding streets. The replacement plans were revealed as
Edinburgh City Council officially handed back the site to a development
company formed by the owners of the Cowgate site....it also emerged that
a prominent player in the development consortium, Edinburgh University,
has yet to sign up, possibly hindering further progress....Mr Fraser said
he would like to see a series of artists’ studios on the site, as
there was a lack of them in the city, and he hoped that much of the re-build
could be completed in traditional stone, although the consortium was looking
to the help of heritage trusts to assist with the cost of such materials....The
architect also wants to restore a gable at the entrance to the Cowgate,
which collapsed in the wake of the fire.
Martin Hulse, the director of the Cockburn Association, said: "It
is fantastic that Malcolm Fraser is involved. The South Bridge elevation
must be stone. South Bridge is down on its knees and this needs to be
the catalyst".
see may news
malcolm fraser
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=340187
“Karen Koren will stage dozens of festival shows at two new Gilded
Balloon venues just off the Cowgate - yards from where her offices and
club once stood. “
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=548672003
14.05.03
Cowgate Brief
“Edinburgh’s Cowgate is to reopen to traffic on Monday for
the first time since December’s devastating Old Town blaze - four
weeks ahead of schedule…..Officials have been hosting workshops to
thrash out the future of the site between owners of fire-hit properties,
residents’ groups, conservation bodies and architecture experts.
The council is to prepare a blueprint outlining principles for the restoration
and future development of the site. The authority has declared that any
planning applications for the site will "have to comply with the
finalised brief".”
21.03.03
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/25-3-19103-1-29-59.html
25.03.03
Trondheim connection
The Trondheim fire was within wooden houses right in the heart of the
city. None of them were listed, but some of them had architectural values
of their own and all of them contributed of course to the general townscape
as it was one of the few remaining blocks of wooden houses. The landowners
have launched a architecture competition in which four companies have
been shortlisted and are due to come up with final projects quite soon
I think. Unfortunately all the written material on this is in Norwegian,
and for some reason the newspaper that have most information on this have
taken away the link to a slide show from the fire. But you can get a look
at www.adressa.no/trondheim/bybrannen where several articles, and including
some pictures are posted.
The final projects from the shortlisted companies in the architecture
competition in Trondheim is now launched at www.adressa.no/bildegallerier
The article (in Norwegian) quotes one of the "traditionalists"
who complains that the project is not in line with the existing cityscape,
that nothing reminds him of the low wooden houses, that the buildings
are too tall and the facades are too compact and massive. Representatives
from the city council say that whoever wins will have to moderate/adjust
the proposal according to opinions within the city council. Sounds just
like Edinburgh, just replace wooden with stone!
21 Mar 2003
FIRE-AFFECTED COWGATE TO RE-OPEN THIS MONDAY
The Cowgate is to re-open four weeks ahead of schedule following the major
fire in December 2002. The road will re-open to traffic and pedestrians
at midday on Monday 24 March.
Demolition of damaged buildings is now complete, although some work will
continue. This will include removing any loose masonry and weatherproofing
the remaining structures. The current hoarding surrounding the area will
be moved back to cordon off the site. This will allow access to resume
through the Cowgate and from the bottom of Blair Street. Hasties Close
will remain closed to through access until essential building work has
been completed by the owners of the Faith club.
Work on the site has included careful demolition, sometimes by hand, of
the affected buildings. Historic Scotland and the World Heritage Trust
were consulted at every stage during the demolition works. The listed
archways at the front of the Gilded Balloon building were saved and have
been left in-situ. Demolition staff also managed to recover many valued
mementoes and files from businesses on the site.
Prior to any demolition, a photographic survey of affected buildings was
conducted. This will provide a permanent record of buildings that have
been demolished. An extensive archaeological investigation was also carried
out to record the buildings and area during the demolition process. This
will also help to identify how the area has evolved into what it is today
and could aid any future restoration plans.
Associated road repairs are now also complete and new street lights have
been installed. The pedestrian crossing has been re-instated on the Cowgate
near the site - opposite Hasties Close.
No one was injured either during the fire or in any site accident during
the works.
Once the area has been made safe it will be handed back to the owners.
The Council will prepare restoration and design principles for the site.
These will indicate how the site should be developed in terms of reinstatement,
new build and also the acceptable uses. These principles will be prepared
in full consultation with interested parties. Any planning application(s)
for the site will have to comply with the finalised brief.
Councillor Donald Anderson, Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council said:
‘We’d initially hoped to have the Cowgate open by Easter, and
I’m delighted that we’ve surpassed all expectations. Making
this fire-ravaged site safe has been no easy task and credit should go
to all those who have worked long and hard to make it happen.
‘The future of the site is one we all await with anticipation, and
I hope the owners continue to work together to fill this space with something
suitably fitting.’
Glancing Vistas
“The winning design in a contest to breathe new life into the fire-hit
Cowgate area incorporates a 12-storey modern tower and "historic"
closes and wynds. West End architects Ron Galloway Associates was today
revealed as the winner of an unofficial ideas competition to design a
scheme for the gap site created by the devastating blaze in the Old Town
in December……A spokesman for Ron Galloway Associates today said:
"We are delighted and very pleased. "It is a modern development
and very contemporary. There is lots of glass, but the buildings would
be constructed from historical stonework. "It is a continuation of
the Old Town’s closes, wynds and stairwells. There would be deep
views through the site of the Tron and St Giles. "We have tried to
keep the scheme within the scale of the area."…. While the contest
was an unofficial ideas competition, it is regarded as an important catalyst
for any official development.”
http://news.scotsman.com
11.03.03
“Tower named as top design for Old Town. The winning design in
a contest to breathe new life into the fire-hit Cowgate area of Edinburgh
incorporates a 12-storey tower and historic closes and wynds.”
http://www.news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=300642003
12.03.03
http://www.edinburghnews.com/index.cfm?id=297942003
http://www.edinburghnews.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=297942003
http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?id=300642003&tid=68
http://www.sundayherald.com/print31983
09.03.03
Mach's Harem
"A giant harem featuring the figures of six or seven 30ft nude
women is set to dominate the site of the recent fire in the Old Town of
Edinburgh.The sculptures, proposed by the artist David Mach, will be installed
later this year if exhibition plans for the site achieve sufficient sponsorship."
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=282452003
08.03.03
Ed Hollis on the South Bridge
WHAT EVERYONE WANTS
Renderings are up on site for those last minute student entries
from around the world that still can't understand the site.
http://southbridge.org.uk/resources_ewht_model.html
04.03.03
4 March 2003
FIRST STEP FOR FUTURE OF EDINBURGH FIRE SITE
The first step in preparing a planning brief for the site of Edinburgh’s
Old Town fire has begun. The City of Edinburgh Council held a workshop
yesterday (3 March 2003) with agencies and individuals with conservation
and design expertise. A planning brief is advice prepared by planning
officers for prospective developers.
Participants were able to discuss:
Uses within the redevelopment site
Design issues
Movement through the site
The process - how can redevelopment be achieved?
Many views were aired and discussed, but there did seem to be some consensus
amongst the people taking part, particularly over the scale of the new
development, and a continued mix of uses on the site.
A second workshop is being held on 10 March, involving representatives
of local residents and businesses. The discussion from the workshops will
then be pulled together into a planning brief, which will then go out
for widespread public consultation. Any planning application(s) for the
site will have to comply with the finalised brief.
Alan Henderson, the Council’s Head of Planning, said:
“Such a focused and constructive debate was vital in planning the
future of this site. All the issues raised at the workshops will be fed
into our draft planning brief. There seemed to be an all-round expectation
that there is an opportunity for new buildings of a contemporary style
in high quality materials that respect the surrounding townscape and are
in keeping with the site’s World Heritage Status. Mixed use also
seemed most appropriate to the participants, although there were concerns
about the effects of noise and lack of natural light on any potential
housing development.
‘Other ideas would help the flow of pedestrians within the area.
These could possibly include a pedestrian route to link up South Bridge
with the Cowgate, as well as opening up other closes and linking of streets.”
Councillor Bob Cairns, Convenor of the Planning Committee, The City of
Edinburgh Council, said:
“It is important that we take every opportunity to consult with interested
and affected parties. Having such expertise gathered together has been
invaluable. Of course, we don’t yet have all the answers, but this
workshop is a vital first step.
“The next step will be to listen to the views of the local community.
Accommodating all the different aspirations will be no easy feat, but
there is a sense that this is a great opportunity to give something back
to the city.”
"City leaders have taken the first step in the reconstruction
of the Old Town fire site. They have announced details of workshops where
the plans for the future of the Cowgate will be thrashed out...planned
to be held on March 3 and 10."
01.03.03
story re competition & judges
24.02.03
"A faulty fuse box has been blamed for starting Edinburgh’s
devastating Old Town fire".
20.02.03
Blueprint for Change
‘Remember the Past, Think of the Future’
Article by Stuart Macdonald of The Lighthouse in Blueprint Feb 2003
page 74
“May I suggest that adventurous architects wait until they can go
to the moon”.
11.02.03
“Owners of properties devastated by the blaze which hit the Old Town
of Edinburgh are planning to set up their own company to revive the site”.
10.02.03
“It is encouraging news that the owners of properties destroyed or
devastated by the Old Town fire are planning to set up their own company
to help revive the site”.
10.02.03
“Security at the scene of the Old Town fire has been stepped up after
repeated attempts by souvenir hunters and pub-goers to access the site”.
05.02.03
"John, the city council archaeologist in charge of the site, and
Dave, from the specialist firm hired to carefully research it, pick their
way across mounds of rubble and mud, expert eyes scanning every fragment
in search of yet another clue".
31.01.03
“The fire-hit part of Edinburgh’s Cowgate, which has been sealed
off since last month’s devastating Old Town blaze, will reopen by
the Easter weekend, it emerged yesterday”.
23.01.03
“Anyone planning to have a go at redesigning Edinburgh’s
Cowgate would be well advised to spend some time at this show”.
24.01.03
Stuart Macdonald Comment
http://news.scotsman.com
16.01.03
Shepherd
“Malcolm Fraser, who has won a string of top awards for his projects,
confirmed he was in "tentative" discussion over the future of
the site in the Cowgate”.
10.01.03
Council Deadline
“Owners of properties devastated by the Old Town fire are to be given
a 12-month deadline to thrash out the future of the site before the city
council begins moves to take control over it.
The council has warned it will launch proceedings for a compulsory purchase
of the land between the Cowgate and South Bridge if talks stall.”
10.01.03
Modern Stamp
“What is needed is a vision for this historic thoroughfare that reintegrates
it into the city centre and also puts a modern stamp upon it.”
08.01.03
Bandage
the "gaping wound in the heart of the city": current picture
“And now there are discussions underway over taking down the arched
facade to the former Gilded Balloon building at the foot of Blair Street,
numbering the stones, and placing them in storage for later incorporation
in any new development of the area”.
07.01.03
Ravaged
“Organisers of a contest to breathe new life into the fire-ravaged
Cowgate and South Bridge have received dozens of inquiries from as far
afield as Hungary and China”.
07.01.03
Back to Work
"Demolition work was set to resume today following a holiday season
break at the site of the Old Town blaze".
06.01.03
Drink up
"A new campaign to limit the number of licensed premises allowed
to reopen in Edinburgh’s fire-ravaged Cowgate has led to a fresh
row over the best way forward for the area....the authority is being urged
to ensure that any new developments provide affordable housing in the
area at the expense of pubs and clubs."
28.12.02
Return to Adam
"Further to the recent devastating fire in Edinburgh’s Old Town,
I am sure there will be an effort to record all the relevant data and
much discussion on the merits of duplicating the buildings will ensue,
and rightly so. But may I suggest we resort to Robert Adam’s proposals
for the reconstruction of the areas of the South Bridge and Cowgate now
subject to demolition? I understand the then town council paid for his
proposals, despite its rejection of the design, so the drawings should
still be in the council’s archives and available for study".
Paul Harris EDINBURGH
28.12.02
Peter Wilson on competitions
"One only has to think of plans to create a new architecture centre
at Haymarket or an extension to the Central Library in the Cowgate to
realise that even world-class architectural solutions are impossible to
implement if the process is flawed. This is not to argue against the competition
approach, but to caution against applying it prematurely".
27.12.02
David Black on the Cons v Mods Debate
"The debate hinges on one question: when historic buildings are
damaged by a catastrophic event should they give way to modern "signature"
structures, or should the original be reinstated? In the case of Edinburgh’s
gutted buildings there really ought to be no contest. The soaring tenement
which arose in 1789 from its arcaded base in the Cowgate to become part
of a unified South Bridge frontage was a component in a planned scheme
first envisaged by Robert Adam, and relates to his Old College nearby.
His design was not the one which was built - if it had been, we would
have had an arcaded grand avenue on a par with the Rue de Rivoli in Paris
- but the plainer version retained an Adamesque flavour, and pioneered
the palace façade principle for buildings in mixed use which would
become the leitmotiv of Edinburgh’s sophisticated urban neoclassicism....For
traditionalists, the omens are not good. The council may be the official
guardian of the architecture of the Scottish Enlightenment, but it is
also pro-active as an urban developer through its property arm, EDI, and
the municipal mindset is tenaciously renewalist".
24.12.02
Collapse: forcing the agenda
"Parts of two fire hit buildings in the Cowgate have dramatically
collapsed on to the street below, leaving surrounding structures dangerously
unstable".
23.12.02
Gordon Murray on the Royal Mile
"Alexander Stoddart (Letters, 18 December) is correct that "contemporary"
is no longer acceptable in intelligent discourse, certainly not in Edinburgh,
judging by the post-conflagration Cowgate correspondence".
20.12.02
French Mayor
http://www.news.scotsman.com
19.12.02
Competition Announcement
http://news.scotsman.com
18.12.02
Intelligent Discourse?
“Reading Dr Stuart MacDonald’s article (Weekend, 14 December)
on the "opportunities" set up for the Scottish architectural
community in the cinders of Edinburgh’s Cowgate, I realised that,
for him, the message has not sunk in that the word "contemporary"
is no longer acceptable in intelligent discourse. It was fine to talk
of "the contemporary" as opposed to "the historic"
in architecture in the 1980s, but surely we have moved on now, to a more
mature understanding of the limitations of such terms”.
18.12.02
fire competition
http://www.edinburghnews.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1404762002
http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?id=1404762002&tid=681
17.12.02
southbridge building: © adrian welch
“A new charitable trust could be formed from the ashes of Edinburgh’s
disastrous Old Town fire to oversee the re-development of the burned-out
site. A South Bridge Trust is being seen as the best way to bring together
the diverse owners of the devastated buildings, heritage experts and local
planners”.
http://www.news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1396182002
16.12.02
southbridge buildings with crane: © adrian welch
“But we should not at this stage take blanket decisions that modern
architecture has no place in the redevelopment or that every last stone
should be preserved simply because it belonged to the previous Cowgate.
Some of the charm of the Old Town is its mixture of styles and adaptation
over the centuries. We have to have confidence in the architecture of
our own age and our ability to redevelop sympathetically. We could end
up not only with a better-looking Cowgate, but also with buildings which
are better suited to the purposes they are used for in the 21st century”.
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1389542002
14.12.02
south bridge buildings: © adrian welch
“One proposal would be to hold an architectural competition, inviting
design submissions from the across the globe”.
Edinburgh resident
"This is a chance to regain some of the innovative design of previous
generations. It would be a disaster if a completely new development were
built on the site."
David Walker
south bridge buildings: © adrian welch
From Building (13/12/02)
Salvage from Edinburgh fire to be used in rebuilding: Remnants of listed
buildings will be recovered and used in the reconstruction of Edinburgh's
historic Cowgate district, which was gutted by a fire at the weekend.
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1388962002
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1389012002
15.12.02
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1384332002
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1382512002
13.12.02
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1380662002
12.12.02
Andrew Marr:
Now the debate has started about rebuilding. There are few spots in central
Edinburgh,
Britain's most beautiful city, where good new buildings would make things
better.
This, thank God, is one.
http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk
11.12.02
“A major architectural contest may be held to come up with a development
to replace buildings devastated in the Old Town blaze. The suggestion,
by council leader Donald Anderson, came as a row broke out over the prospect
of modern structures replacing the historic facades. Mr Anderson has mooted
the idea of a competition as a way of restoring the "vibrancy"
to the Cowgate area, but insisted heritage organisations would be heavily
involved in talks on the area’s future. But the World Monuments Fund
and UNESCO, which oversees the capital’s World Heritage Site status,
said today they were "deeply concerned" that the cityscape of
the Old Town could be lost. Bob Cairns, the council’s planning convener,
said only one of the affected buildings - the Gilded Balloon - was actually
listed, and that the rest, which date back to 1792, were "of no particular
architectural merit".”
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1377172002
11.12.02
“The weekend blaze ripped out the heart of the Old Town’s
World Heritage site - damaging at least ten buildings. The flames have
forever changed the face of the Cowgate….building under threat includes
Adam House in Chambers Street. This building was designed by William Kininmonth
and built in 1954-55 to serve as an examination centre”.
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=1370702002
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/cgi-bin/page?t=newspapers.news&id=5010905
09.12.02
Register House
Old College
Point Hotel
World Heritage Site
Edinburgh Architecture Tours
Edinburgh : back to index