CASE STUDY 23
eventually declared it unfit for purpose, with many of the rooms no longer in use and the school struggling to maintain the building. In 2003, it was put up for sale, CALA subsequently picking up the site for £22m. It was mothballed during the economic downturn, but in the meantime, plans to restore the building and transform the wider location were drawn up, including extensive consultation with the local community and heritage groups. In 2015, heritage restoration specialists City and Country partnered with CALA to submit plans to develop the hospital build- ing and the East and West gatehouses into luxury residential accommodation, a process which started in 2016. CALA then started construction on its part of the development in 2017, the new crescent of luxury homes that stand today on the rear of the site.
CONSTRUCTION WORKS
Preparatory work on the Crescent project started in May, involving a significant excavation to create the underground parking, designed to keep the site as vehicle-free as possible once completed and landscaped, and providing each property with a private parking space. BAM Construction secured the £30m shell and core contract, with CALA’s own team conducting the homes’ fit out. Construction began on the westernmost half of the split crescent, creating a glass- fronted building which takes its height and other design cues in part from the neigh- bouring New Town.
The crescent form had to be carefully considered in order for it to connect with its setting. The prominent curve reflects Georgian architecture, while having an interplay with the Playfair building. Gillian Tait, planning and design director at CALA Homes (East), explained further: “As Edinburgh’s New Town began to
evolve, crescents as well as beautiful communal gardens were designed to add a level of separation and privacy from the existing urban grid. “We believed this to be of particular importance, as The Crescent was designed from the outset to not be just ‘worthy’ of its place on this World Heritage site, but to enhance it.”
OLD & NEW
The design by Richard Murphy Architects looks to strike a balance between a contem- porary, modern building, and historical grandeur. Directly inspired by the location, the classical shape is paired with large amounts of glazing.
The apartments have also been designed to provide the “impressive and functional features of traditional Edinburgh homes, while offering a sleek and ultra-modern reimagining,” said CALA Homes. An example is how the building is set back from the road, with separation created by a lower garden, duplicating the basements of the nearby Moray Place. Each apartment is divided by “vertical expressions,” said CALA, “creating a colon- nade effect along the crescent itself, much like the individual addresses of the New Town’s Georgian streets.” And, emulating the stone steps that feature throughout the city, entranceways have an elevated door to provide a grand sense of entrance. In order to reduce the building’s scale at street level, the uppermost floor is set back; this also increases the privacy of the vaulted-ceiling penthouses located on the top of the crescent. Gillian commented: “It is incredible to see the extent to which Richard Murphy and his team have drawn inspiration and features from the amazing architecture of Edinburgh’s New Town. “This relates The Crescent to its histori- cal precedents, but it does it in a way that ensures it is not trying to copy history or
THIS RELATES THE CRESCENT TO ITS HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS, BUT IT DOES IT IN A WAY THAT ENSURES IT IS NOT TRYING TO COPY HISTORY
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
