
Edinburgh Printmakers
Key Facts
Client
Edinburgh Printmakers
Location
Fountainbridge, Edinburgh
Value
N/A
Internal Floor Area
2675m2
Completion
April 2019
Re-purposing our industrial heritage for contemporary artistic production.
Project Info
The Edinburgh Printmakers creative hub is located within the former headquarters of the North British Rubber Company (NBRC). Our project involved the redevelopment of this derelict building into a multi-use arts complex centred around printmaking production.
Central to the architectural concept was to make precise interventions to facilitate new use while respecting the character and story of the existing building.
The NBRC building is the only surviving structure from the once important nineteenth century Castle Mills industrial complex. During the First World War, over one million pairs of rubber boots were made for the army at Castle Mills.
New architectural elements are light of touch and stem from an understanding of the heritage. The bold new entrance onto Dundee Street provides a public face for Edinburgh Printmakers, offering views from the street directly into the galleries, reception and shop.
The new extension to the rear subtly shifts the heart of the building to create a central courtyard around which all building users can meet and interact. The print studio sits at first floor in the triple-height former fitting and turning workshop. Our approach was not to whitewash the many stories of this space, but instead to allow a new layer of occupation that adds to its ongoing narrative.






Testimonial
“When you encounter crossing points for history, it’s always slightly magical. It happens less and less often, but the Edinburgh Printmakers’ new HQ, created from the remnants of the North British Rubber Company, has managed it.”
Melanie Reid The Times Newspaper
“Edinburgh’s home of the welly boot is reborn as stunning arts space.”
Duncan MacMillan The Scotsman Newspaper
““The project has ingeniously inserted a range of public facing new uses into the building, respecting its fabric, character and heritage, and done so in a way that provides access for all throughout and which opens the building out to engage with its emerging surroundings. A multi-faceted gem.””
Judging Panel RICS Social Impact Awards 2020
““The regeneration of the existing Castle Mills Works building on the Fountainbridge site, acts as an anchor in perpetuity to the past whilst stunningly creating visibility and a presence for Edinburgh Printmakers. The design’s light touch, fabric first and honest approach to the building fabric, alongside the collaborative and commercially clever, future proofed and flexible approach to the building’s use is exceptional.””
Judging Panel EAA Awards for Architecture 2020
Selected Awards
EAA Awards for Architecture 2020, Winner - Building of the Year
EAA Awards for Architecture 2020, Winner - Regeneration / Conservation Category
RICS Social Impact Awards 2020, Scotland Winner - Project of the Year
RICS Social Impact Awards 2020, Scotland Winner - Heritage Category
Civic Trust Awards 2020, Highly Commended
Selwyn Goldsmith Universal Design Award 2020, Highly Commended
AJ Architecture Awards 2019, Shortlist - Cultural Project Category
Brick Awards 2019, Shortlist - Refurbishment Category
GIA Award 2019, Winner - Leisure / Arts Category
Blueprint Awards 2019, Shortlist - Best Building Re-use Category