Edinburgh Park Design Competition
Key Facts
Client
Parabola
Location
Edinburgh Park
Completion
December 2017
A city garden
Project Info
The vision set out by Parabola for Edinburgh Park is an exciting one – to create a new destination for the City of Edinburgh – a wonderful place to work, live, visit and enjoy.
Walking the streets of Edinburgh you are extremely conscious of the role of gardens of all shapes and sizes shaping the day to day experience of the residents, rooting the new neighbourhood in this way is another tie back to the city. This is our thematic banner of the ‘city garden’. This ground level landscape experience can also be extended into the upper levels of the development, as the views and vistas from higher level apartments to open countryside and distant hills are an incredible and unique asset for a city living model.
The masterplan for the site shows a series of ‘L’ shaped blocks, with as we read it, the elbow courtyard enclosing a garden which terminates in turn each of the masterplan lateral cross garden spines. Our concept diagrams looked to unlock the aligned blocks and stagger these, maximising the potential of the spectacular westerly views.
Such an offseting would also benefit the easterly aspect of the rented apartments, providing views along the grid vistaa, with the blocks terminating the views within the masterplan.
In simple massing terms we have adopted a broadly hit and miss strategy of block and open space, dovetailing with the central for sale apartment blocks in the heart of the masterplan. This approach maximises the long views from each of the blocks in both developments. The larger blocks are aligned and sit to the east along the north south internal street and the smaller blocks are arranged in a staggered offset arrangement to the west adapted to suit the road infrastructure.
The Design in Detail - Materials
The elevations are composed simply with a pale brick, appropriate to the Edinburgh style, and subtle accents in detailed balustrades and window panels. Balconies are arranged to suit the aspect and views of each apartment, resulting in a varied and interesting composition. Double-height recesses within the courtyards, formed with Juliet balconies, echo the bold colonnades at the north and south ends.
The Design in Detail - Interiors
Shaping the overall aspiration is a desire not just to create attractive apartments, but to create a delightful place to live. The ambience will be shaped by the varying scale of the blocks and the varying relationship to the landscape between, resulting in a rich overall ambience. This quality is reinforced in the echoing detail articulation of the buildings, emphasising key vistas and aspects.
