Old Town Fire, Ideas Competition, Edinburgh Design Contest
Old Town Fire Edinburgh : Architecture
Old Town Fire Competition: Cowgate, Edinburgh, Scotland
post updated 22 October 2023
Edinburgh Old Town Fire
International Ideas Competition
Winning Submissions
Architect Prize:
First: Ron Galloway Associates (above)
Second: Thomas Hamilton, Arcade Architects
Third: Ed Hollis, Napier University
Student Prize:
1st: Mark Marshall, University of Edinburgh
2nd: Jamie Ashmore, University of Edinburgh
3rd: Tom Holberton & Lucy Evans
Edinburgh Fire Comment
Judging @ Scottish Arts Club 10 Mar
Announcement @ Balmoral Hotel 11 Mar
Deadline for competition submissions 7 Mar
Edinburgh Old Town 2002 fire
In the evening of 7 December 2002, a fire started above the Belle Angele nightclub off the Cowgate. It swept up through the eight-storey structure to other buildings on Cowgate and above it on South Bridge.
The complicated nature of the buildings, with narrow alleys and entrances from the same building onto streets at different heights, complicated efforts to fight the fire, and was later called a “rabbit warren” by Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade. It took more than a day for the fire, fought at its height by 19 fire crews, to be brought under control, and several days for it to be completely extinguished. Around 150 people were forced to flee the flames, but thankfully there were no deaths.
The University of Edinburgh School of Informatics on South Bridge was badly damaged; the school was a pioneer in the study of artificial intelligence in the 1950s and one of the world’s most comprehensive archival libraries in this field was destroyed by the fire. Little current research data was lost in the fire due to offsite backups. In 2005 work began on a new building, the Informatics Forum, which was occupied mid-2008.
Also destroyed was the Gilded Balloon, a major venue for the Edinburgh Fringe, and offices for both the Gilded Balloon and Underbelly venues housed in an 1823 listed warehouse by Thomas Hamilton. The Gilded Balloon later moved to premises in Teviot Row House.
The site was temporarily used as a Fringe venue again when it became the C venues’ Urban Garden during the 2007 Edinburgh Festival.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowgate
Edinburgh Old Town Building Designs
Contemporary Edinburgh Architectural Designs – recent selection from e-architect:
Old Town Buildings – Selection:
Gladstone’s Land:
photo © Adrian Welch
Lady Stair’s House
photo © Adrian Welch
Edinburgh Court Building
photo © Adrian Welch
Comments / photos for the Edinburgh Old Town Fire Competition page welcome,
