Edinburgh Architecture News 2021, Lothian Buildings, Architects, Images, Design Scotland

Edinburgh Building News 2021: Architecture

post updated 23 July 2021

Edinburgh Architecture News 2021

23 July 2021
Scotland’s Rural Home Book
John Brennan’s new publication, Scotland’s Rural Home: Nine Stories about Contemporary Architecture, which was released in the UK on 8th July, by publishers Lund Humphries.

About the Book:
The nine building stories told in Scotland’s Rural Home show how rural households and communities define themselves, and the role architecture plays in this. Beautifully illustrated with 226 colour photographs and architectural drawings, the projects, from affordable housing on the islands to exquisite renovations of traditional agricultural stock, and all recognised by the Saltire Society’s Housing Design Awards, are visually rich both in themselves and the contexts in which they sit. The houses are set firmly within historic, economic and social contexts and are much more than bolt holes from the urban. More

About the Author:
John Brennan is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Design at the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, the University of Edinburgh. He is also a practising architect whose built works include collaborations with James Turrell and a series of awards including the Saltire prize for housing, and most recently the Scottish Homes award for best house in 2011.

The book was also featured in a selection of books in Homes & Interiors Scotland. John Brennan has written a short introductory blogpost, which you can view here.

22 July 2021
54 Week Decision Times For Major Housing Applications Unacceptable

Latest annual planning performance statistics for 2020/21 showing a 17 week increase in the average decision time for major housing development to 54 weeks are unacceptable, according to home building body Homes for Scotland (HFS).

Read the full news announcement on the Glasgow Architecture news for 2021 page.

8 July 2021
Two New Trustees appointed at Wasps Studios

Alasdair Tweedie and Nicola Walls join the Board of Directors at Scotland’s studio provider:

Scotland’s national provider of artist studios Wasps has appointed two new Trustees to its Board of Directors.

Architect Nicola Walls and chartered surveyor Alasdair Tweedie were appointed to the charitable institution’s Board at its most recent meeting of Trustees. Both appointments bring the desired property and facilities management experience to the Board of Trustees and are skilled in carbon reduction approaches, a key agenda for the organisation in its journey towards Zero Carbon.

Nicola Walls is an architect with Page\Park Architects in Glasgow where she leads the Arts and Culture team. She continues to be involved in producing spaces for people to engage with creative and cultural activities, having been instrumental in the delivery of nationally important, award winning cultural buildings in Scotland. Nicola will bring significant architectural development experience to the Board, particularly in relation to Wasps’ historic estate.

Alasdair Tweedie is Director of Property Management at the University of Stirling and is a Chartered Surveyor with 25 years’ experience in the delivery and management of complex property developments and portfolios in the higher education, residential, commercial and urban regeneration sectors.

Wasps chairperson Andrew Burrell welcomed the appointments: “Wasps is at a crucial stage in its strategic development, providing affordable and high quality studio and office space for Scotland’s creative sector. The arrival of Nicola and Alasdair to the board further strengthens a powerful executive team. Their knowledge and experience will be of enormous benefit to Wasps and to the country’s cultural scene.”

Wasps trustee Nicola Walls: “The mission of Wasps – to support and provide space for our creatives to prosper through the adaption of existing buildings – resonates very strongly with my architectural practice and my passion for the arts.

“How the cultural sector can help our communities emerge out of this challenging period even stronger makes this a really exciting time to be joining the Board of this important national organisation.

“I am looking forward to helping support Wasps and their portfolio of fascinating buildings across Scotland.”
Wasps trustee Alasdair Tweedie: “I very much look forward to the opportunity to support Wasps and its tenants as a Board Trustee, contributing to the continual development, operational effectiveness and overall improvement of the estate.”

Wasps bids farewell to long-serving trustees Calum Macaulay and David Bankier, who have been key figures in the safe stewardship and development of the registered charity over the past 7 years.

Home to approximately 1000 artists and creators across Scotland, Wasps opened its 20th property in 2019, Perth Creative Exchange, and is managing the final part of phase 2 of its latest development, Inverness Creative Academy, due for completion later this year.

5 July 2021
Habitat for Humanity Great Britain Appoints Nicola Barclay as Board Chair

Habitat for Humanity Great Britain (“GB”), a charity focused on long-term poverty alleviation through affordable social housing, announced today the appointment of Nicola Barclay as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Nicola, who joined the Habitat for Humanity GB Board of Trustees in 2020, will succeed Ian Whitehead, who served as Chairman since 1991.

About Habitat for Humanity

Housing poverty is a global problem and substandard housing is a key obstacle to social mobility, economic opportunity, and better health and wellbeing for over 1.6 billion people around the world.

Habitat for Humanity believes everyone has a decent place to call home. We believe that a decent home helps to permanently break the cycle of poverty and allows families to achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance.

Our global projects increase access to housing for millions each year through a range of activities, including direct construction, advocating for land rights and security of tenure, increasing access to housing finance, and improved water and sanitation facilities. By working hand in hand with communities, since 1976 we have provided over 1.9 million homes and helped over 29 million people.

In the UK, we act as a catalyst, testing and piloting ideas and approaches that have the potential to help solve some of the biggest housing problems facing this country. We also look to directly support community partners, helping maintain and improve their housing stock.

Homepage

See the Glasgow Architecture website’s news page for the full information.

4 July 2021
St James Quarter

photo © Isabelle Lomholt
The retail centre opened on 24 June 2021 and contains around 850,000 square feet of retail space. The controversial hotel spiral dominates the skyline, and does not integrate well into the context.
Powderhall Stables Building News

21 June 2021
Powderhall Stables Building
The final refurbishment phase of Powderhall Stables is now underway, that will deliver a contemporary new design to reinvigorate a prominent 1890s stable block in Broughton, Edinburgh. The Powderhall Stables redevelopment for client the City of Edinburgh Council, will deliver a mix of individual studios and co-working spaces aimed at microbusinesses.

photo : Andrew Lee
Powderhall Stables Building News

16 June 2021
EAA Awards Open
Entries for the EAA Awards 2021 are now open. The 2020 Awards were a great success, demonstrating the rich wealth of architectural talent and design innovation that the Edinburgh chapter has to offer, and this year the Awards return bigger than ever:

EAA Awards – 28 July: deadline

9 June 2021
Kincardine, Places for Everyone project Development News
A community-led design project in a Fife town has been nominated for a Scottish Design Award. Created by HarrisonStevens, the Edinburgh-based Landscape Architects and Urban Designers, the Kincardine, Places for Everyone project has been nominated in the Future Building or Project category in the annual awards:
Kincardine, Places for Everyone

8 June 2021
Artisan Real Estate Property Development News
Investment in Low Carbon Urban Housing and City Centre Redevelopment Across Edinburgh and Glasgow Drives Ambitious Growth Plans. Artisan Real Estate is strengthening its market position in Scotland with the announcement of a new management team as the developer moves forward with its £140 million investment plan focusing on low carbon city centre residential redevelopment across Edinburgh and Glasgow:
Artisan Real Estate Property Development

7 June 2021
RIAS LISTEN
We share details about an open call titled ‘RIAS LISTEN’. The RIAS are seeking submissions as part of their Architecture Fringe event and would love to hear from as many people and organisations as possible.

LISTEN is a collaborative and interactive event to gather voices on architecture and explore the role of the professional body in Scotland today. The event is an open call for up to 30-word sound bites, text submissions or video responses and it is open to anyone to take part.

The submissions will be collated and shared via a virtual screening on Friday 18th June 2021. The deadline for submissions is Monday 14^th June.

Full details can be viewed here: https://www.rias.org.uk/about/news/2021-june-rias-launch-open-call-for-rias-listen.

4 June 2021
Conservation and energy efficiency work on the Canongate
Local Edinburgh residents living in the Canongate area of the Old Town will benefit from a range of conservation and energy efficiency improvements that are on track to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by over 50%:
Canongate Housing Development

3 June 2021
Scottish Capital City Building Photos
Some new photographs around the city centre of key buildings:

St Andrew Square building:

Buildings on The Mound, looking West:

Market Street hotel building in the Old Town:

Jenners, Princes Street, from the south:

photo © Adrian Welch

2 June 2021
Leith Walk Proposals Get Planning Approval

image courtesy of Drum Property Group
Stead’s Place Leith Walk development
148 new apartments and refurbishment of retail building set to bring much needed investment to Edinburgh city centre. Drum Property Group’s vision for the long-awaited redevelopment of a key development site on Leith Walk is to become a reality following the granting of planning consent.

20 May 2021
Edinburgh Landscape Architects Shortlisted for European Prize

rankinfraser landscape architecture, based in Darnaway St, are shortlisted for The Dunbar Battery in East Lothian. It is one of ten works in the European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention 2021 category B – Exterior Spaces.

This category was judged by architects Delphine Péters, Olga Felip and Isabel Aguirre, after evaluating 49 participating proposals.

The Dunbar Battery, Dunbar, Scotland, United Kingdom. rankinfraser landscape architecture:

photograph © rankinfraser landscape architecture

The 5th edition of European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention, with a success of participation that coincides with the celebration of its 10th anniversary, publishes the names of those shortlisted in the a and b categories.

European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention 2021

20 May 2021
Jenners Building Restoration
The Jenners building in Edinburgh is to undergo a four year restoration so the Victorian department store can be returned to its former glory, reports the BBC today:

Jenners Edinburgh

13 May 2021
New Board Appointments At Homes For Scotland

Homes for Scotland (HFS) has announced three new appointments to its Board following its Annual General Meeting last week:

– Beth McNeil
Regional Managing Director, Keepmoat Homes

– Fraser Conn
Managing Director, Bellway Homes West Scotland

– Fionna Kell
Director of Policy, Homes for Scotland

11 May 2021
DM Hall markets Category B-listed Pollokshields mansion for £1m

A landmark honey stone mansion in Glasgow’s affluent Pollokshields neighbourhood formerly operated as a 23 bed nursing home, is being marketed at offers over £1m by DM Hall, one of Scotland’s leading independent firms of chartered surveyors. Read the report in full on our Glasgow Architecture website.

23 April 2021
New Linear Accelerator Treatment Facility in Edinburgh

Work has begun on a new linear accelerator (LINAC) treatment facility at NHS Lothian’s Western General Hospital (WGH) in Edinburgh, designed by HLM Architects and being delivered by RMF Health (a Consortium of Robertson Construction and FES).

New Linear Accelerator Treatment Facility

20 Apr 2021

Drum Property Group Takes Equity and Management Role in New Ingliston Limited

New Structure in Place to Progress “Transformational Development” for West Edinburgh

Drum Property Group has announced that it has taken an equity and management position in New Ingliston Limited, the development company led by Sir Bill Gammell.

New Ingliston development west of Edinburgh:

New Ingliston Ltd currently owns more than 200 acres of prime development land to the west of Edinburgh, adjacent to Edinburgh Airport. Drum will now take on the management of both the company and future development activity on behalf of the Board. The 205-acre site – formerly marketed as ‘Edinburgh 205’ and part of the planned International Business Gateway – is widely regarded as one of the most strategically important economic development areas in Scotland, presenting the opportunity to open up the west of the Capital.

As part of the company reorganisation, a new Board has been appointed with Sir Bill Gammell serving as Chairman. Previous Board members Patrick Gammell, Sir Brian Ivory and Alistair Salvesen have been joined by new appointees Graeme Bone, Group Managing Director of Drum Property Group and property industry veterans Alan Robertson and Eric Young. This follows the recent retirement of Roddie Paterson after 26 years as Managing Director of New Ingliston Ltd.

Welcoming the new management structure, Sir Bill Gammell, Chairman of New Ingliston Ltd said: “We are delighted to be working with the highly regarded Drum team who have a proven track record of expertise and delivery. On behalf of the Board, I would also like to record our thanks to Roddie Paterson and all his team at Highland Properties for their tremendous input over many years and for creating such a strong foundation for future growth.”

Graeme Bone, Group Managing Director of Drum, added: “This is a once-in-a generation opportunity for Drum to deliver a development site that has the potential to play a fundamental role in Scotland’s economic recovery and ongoing development for decades to come. To have the support of such an inspiring and experienced Board provides a unique platform to look at the site with a fresh perspective and energy as the country emerges from the challenges of lockdown. We have already started the process of productive engagement with local and national stakeholders in the private and public sectors, and we now look forward to building momentum and advancing our vision for what could be a transformational development for west Edinburgh.”

Background:

About Drum Property Group: Drum Property Group Ltd is an award-winning property development and investment business with a strong track record of growth throughout Glasgow, Scotland and the UK. www.drumpropertygroup.com

About New Ingliston Limited: New Ingliston Ltd is the principal landowner and founding partner in the West Edinburgh Development Partnership, a collaboration of public and private bodies including Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council, Transport Scotland, Edinburgh Airport and The Royal Highland Society.

14 Apr 2021

LBA Team Members Awarded Prestigious Medal For Architecture By RSA

Chiara Fingland (left) and Clare O’Connell (right) from Studio LBA:

Chiara Fingland and Clare O’Connell from Studio LBA and the Imagine If… research collective, have just been awarded the prestigious RSA Annual Exhibition Medal for Architecture for their work on the Home of 2030 project.

Chiara and Clare worked with colleague Ellie Burroughs from Aitken Turnbull Architects on the design competition which was created by to drive innovation in the provision of affordable, efficient and healthy green homes for all and tackle the need for scalable, sustainable and durable solutions that help to address the housing shortage.

The three created an innovative and transformational design that explores a vision for housing of the future. This scheme seeks to address how we can make a generation driven by convenience live more sustainably. Their proposal aimed to integrate the benefits of shared economies through utilising community assets on a macro and micro scale, which in turn, facilitates individuals to be independent whilst being supported by a collective neighbourhood.

Chiara and Clare said “We established the ‘Imagine If…’ research collective with colleagues Ellie and Eilidh, with the aim of opening a dialogue with the public on more sustainable housing marketing offerings.

The entirety of the design process took place remotely during the first Covid lockdown and whilst it can often feel hard to work collaboratively in a socially distanced world, this experience really highlighted what can be achieved when you have shared passion and drive. The three of us had countless video calls and phone calls throughout the design process, making it a challenging but rewarding process. It is a great honour to have had our findings on how shared living could help us live more sustainably recognised with this award.

The designs had to take a number of factors into account including; creating comfortable, healthy internal environments in homes, helping to respond to concerns on climate change in home design and building and ensuring quality and affordability.

Studio LBA Managing Director Lynsey Bell Manson adds: “We have always known our team was a group of dedicated, innovative and driven individuals, but to have that recognised by an organisation like the RSA is just fantastic. I know the amount of work that went into this submission and I’m so happy for Chiara and Clare to see it paying off.

For more information about the RSA Annual Exhibition visit www.rsaannualexhibition.org

For more information on Studio LBA visit www.studiolba.co.uk

Their work can be viewed on the RSA digital viewing gallery here https://www.rsaannualexhibition.org/viewing-room/11/works/artworks-7268-ellie-burroughs-chiara-fingland-and-clare-o-connell-imagine-if-home-of-2030-2020/.

Architectural Conservation Masterclass

Offered by the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies and the Institute for Historic Buildings Conservation – IHBC Scotland Branch:

Dilemmas of Translating Theories into Practice: An Indian Perspective

Aishwarya Tipnis, Aishwarya Tipnis Architects

Details: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/sccsmasterclass/tuesday-13-april-2021/

Tuesday, 13 April 12.00-13.00 BST, Zoom Webinar

We wish our readers a Happy Easter.

31 Mar 2021
Home Builders Look Ahead To Lockdown Lifting

Non-essential maintenance work in homes allowed from 26 April

Scottish home builders are keenly awaiting the planned 26 April lifting of restrictions which have prevented workers from entering customers’ homes for non-essential aftercare work during the latest lockdown and over a large part of the last year.

This is one of the top priorities for the Board of trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS), which met last week, coinciding with the positive news that the industry had achieved a record level of customer satisfaction with 91% of customers willing to recommend their builder to a friend.

HFS Chief Executive Nicola Barclay said:

“As every new home is a bespoke product, there will inevitably be some aftercare required but, for much of the last year, builders have been unable to undertake anything other than essential work in people’s homes.

“Our members tell us that customers have been extremely patient as they recognise the Scottish Government-imposed lockdown restrictions have been for their own safety, but the end of April really can’t come soon enough. Undeniably, there will be a backlog to work through, but our members are busy preparing for that challenge and are keen to resolve any outstanding issues for their customers as soon as they can.”

31 Mar 2021
Scottish Georgian Home
Delightful Georgian Finnieston house for sale in up-and-coming Glasgow West End area – since sold.

5 Corunna Street on vimeo.

29 Mar 2021
Preserving heritage in building for the future of a global garden

New photos added:

RBGE Edinburgh Biomes Construction

Engineered timber and historic buildings: The future role of Mass (engineered) Timber in Historic Building Conservation

44th annual series of Architectural Conservation Masterclasses

Peter Wilson, Timber Design Initiatives

Tuesday, 30 March 12.00-13.00 GMT, Zoom Webinar

See our events page for details

19 March 2021
Collegelands Development

Vastint’s emerging proposal seeks to transform vacant and under-used former railway land to the East of the historic High Street into a coherent and connected part of the City Centre. The development will provide over 220 new apartments for rent within three stepped blocks.

Read more at Collegelands Glasgow Property

6 Mar 2021
Scottish Architects Win at Civic Trust Awards

With two projects among just 40 winners from around the globe, Hoskins Architects from Glasgow are thrilled to have won the National Panel Special Award, for the transformational project at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

Their project at Strawberry Field, a visitor and training centre for young people with learning disabilities, for the Salvation Army, was also a winner in the Selwyn Goldsmith award:

15 Feb 2021
EAA News
JOIN THE EAA COUNCIL & WORKING GROUPS

Welcome to the first members bulletin of the newly incorporated Edinburgh Architectural Association SCIO! You can read more about the EAA’s ongoing modernisation here.

In line with the updated constitution, the EAA are seeking new council members and student representatives (RIBA Part 1 or Part 2) who are interested in becoming actively involved with the EAA. This is an opportunity to meet other architects and members of the architectural community, and help to advance architecture and the built environment in your local area.

The EAA are looking for enthusiastic individuals who can give some voluntary time each month to become actively involved with the chapter group, either by joining the EAA Council as a Trustee or by contributing to the activities of the Working Groups.

Find out more about the work of the EAA Council and Working Groups, and find further details of how to get involved here.

15 Feb 2021
EAA invites architect Ryan W. Kennihan News

The EAA invites architect Ryan W. Kennihan to speak about his work and practice. Ryan studied architecture at Cornell University. Originally from Chicago, he has been based in Dublin, since 2002, establishing his practice in 2007. He has taught architecture at University of Navarra in Pamplona, the Porto Academy, University College Dublin and the Dublin School of Architecture at DIT, where he is currently a lecturer.

6 Feb 2021
Cadworks Building News

Please see the Glasgow Architecture News page for information about the Cadworks development, in Glasgow City Centre, that will be ‘Net Zero Carbon (NZC)’ in operation and powered only by renewable electricity when it completes in October 2021.

5 Feb 2021
UK Government’s school rebuilding programme

The Royal Institute of British Architects has responded to the Government’s launch of the first phase of the School Rebuilding Programme.

RIBA President Alan Jones said:

“Well-designed schools have the power to shape society – improving the attainment, behaviour, health and wellbeing of every child.

As the government’s ten-year rebuilding programme gets underway, it is crucial to focus on the delivery of good quality design, sustainability and safety.

See our RIBA news page for more details

1 Feb 2021
100k
The e-architect resource – with over 30,000 pages of architecture information – is now ranked by alexa.com as one of the world’ top 100k websites:

https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/e-architect.com

27 Jan 2021
Need For 25,000 New Homes

Politicians Urged To Unite Around Need For 25,000 New Homes Each Year To Give Confidence To Consumers, Certainty For Business And +£25 Billion Economic Boost

27th of January 2021 – Clear statement of intent required from all parties ahead of election

With the importance of ensuring everyone living in Scotland has a quality home that meets their needs never more apparent, the country’s home building industry today urged politicians across all parties to support a shared ambition to achieve and consistently deliver at least 25,000 new homes each year.

Read the news in full on the Glasgow Architecture news page.

26 Jan 2021
Jenners to Close

Frasers Group said it would cease trading on 3 May, after 183 years in the city, at Edinburgh’s famous department store. The firm says as it had been unable to reach agreement with the site’s owner.

Jenners Edinburgh Closing News

Highlights from the end of 2020:

17 Dec 2020
Plannng Approval for 65 London Road
HG Developments proposed redevelopment of 65 London Road site to form a 76-bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation, designed by 3DReid, replacing disused car-wash buildings:
65 London Road Edinburgh

7 Dec 2020
Moxy Hotel Edinburgh News

image courtesy of architects practice
Moxy Hotel Fountainbridge
This is part of a regeneration project in the new Fountainbridge district, the 262-room Moxy Hotel from Marriott International is situated on the former Scottish & Newcastle Fountain Brewery site, alongside offices, cafés, co-working spaces and a restaurant.

12 Nov 2020
EAA Photography Competition News

The EAA announce an extended deadline for Old New Edinburgh – New Old Edinburgh, a photography competition open to all exploring the impacts of time and change on the fabric of Edinburgh and its surrounding towns:

Closing date extended to 25 November 2020

1 Nov 2020
HDR | Hurley Palmer Flatt Named as One of 50 Consultants on a Brand New £95m Professional Services Framework

Leading independent multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Hurley Palmer Flatt has been appointed as one of 50 consultants on a major new professional services framework in Edinburgh, Scotland. The programme intends to rejuvenate the city of Edinburgh with the delivery of new state-of-the-art schools, early years centres, sports facilities, and affordable homes across the city.

The £95 million framework will consist of numerous architectural, engineering and project management contracts over a four-year period.

The procurement for this scheme entered its first stage a year ago, with the second stage commencing in February, just a short time before the whole of the UK entered a national lockdown. Despite the challenges the City of Edinburgh Council would have faced due to Covid-19, it is a great success that the procurement process was able to come to completion, although other public sector procurement faced delays and cancellations.

The framework has sustainability at the core of its plans, with Passivhaus Architects ensuring that new buildings are energy efficient and the city’s net zero carbon by 2030 target is taken into full consideration. The scheme also brings great support to small businesses, with this being a priority for the council, resulting in more than 70% of successful bidders being SMEs. Each consultant is also required to pay the Living Wage and carry out community benefits as part of any work they obtain.

Hurley Palmer Flatt are thrilled to be supporting the projects awarded through the framework.

These are not the only projects the company is currently supporting in Scotland’s both historically-rich and dynamic capital, as it is working on a redevelopment which will see the transformation of Edinburgh’s Rosebery House by Aviva Investors, welcoming a new state-of-the-art office block. The new ‘landmark’ development will hold the potential to onboard 1,500 office workers by 2025, and like the new Professional Services Framework, will have the future in mind, with sustainability at the heart of the project as it is committed to securing a Net Zero Carbon rating for the building’s operation.

On the news of the Framework appointment, Associate Director at HDR | Hurley Palmer Flatt Group Emma MacLeod commented that “the firm are keen to be providing a key function to further projects across the city of Edinburgh.”

1 Nov 2020
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