Austin-Smith:Lord LLP
Contact Details
Phone:
0141 223 8500
0141 223 8500
Fax:
0141 223 8501
0141 223 8501
Website:
http://www.austinsmithlord.com
Address:http://www.austinsmithlord.com
296 St Vincent Street
Glasgow G2 5RU
No. of architects: 86
No. of staff: 188
Principal Contacts:
Partner:
Iain Wylie
Skills
Community architecture
Computer-aided design
Development briefs
Energy-conscious design
Feasibility studies
Heritage
Landscaping design
Sustainable design
Urban design
Urban planning
PARC Greendykes Phase 1
This proposed new housing development is about to start on site in the Greendykes North area of Craigmillar Edinburgh. The scheme comprises 30 Mews and Townhouses with 62 2 and 1 bedroom Apartments.
Working closely with the client PARC Craigmillar, one of Scotland’s first Urban Regeneration companies, the scheme evolved out of analysis of both the Craigmillar Urban Design Framework and Greendykes North masterplan. One of the key requirements was that there was to be a tenure mix with a combination of 75% Private to 25% Social Housing.
The Social housing element takes the form of an Older Person Housing block and is located at the most prominent corner of the site. This site was chosen as it was convenient for access to local amenities and shops. However, as the scheme is tenure blind the social housing element is not differentiated from the housing for sale.
There are two innovative aspects of the scheme. The first is the use of homezones with the streets surrounding the urban block being designated as Edinburgh's first homezone district. To facilitate this extensive research and analysis was conducted in conjunction with Ben Hamilton-Baillie, one of the UK’s homezone and shared surface experts. A key element of the approach adopted was how both the street section, and relationship of the front elevations of the buildings to the street, could be utilised to encourage drivers to slow down.
The second innovation is that there is a secure courtyard at the heart of the complex. This comprises a landscaped communal backcourt garden. Opening directly onto this is a belt of private gardens directly adjacent to the ground floor flats and houses.
This feature resulted from extensive community consultation discussions with the local community and potential occupiers and is a departure for an area plagued by a confused relationship between public and private space.
A further innovation with courtyard garden is that the landscaping occurs in two phases. The first phase, constructing the main hard landscaped elements, will occur before the residents move into the complex. The second phase occurs once the development is 65% occupied. This phase will engage the residents in the design of the soft landscaping of the courtyard. It is hoped that this arrangement will give the residents a sense of ownership over the communal space.
The community consultation was a key element of PARC’s approach to development. Engagement with the local community was also encouraged by City of Edinburgh Council. The local authority viewed the application as a prototype in the run up to the new Scottish Planning Bill which placed community engagement at the heart of the planning process. As a consequence of the consultation the scheme achieved planning in 6 months.
Working closely with the client PARC Craigmillar, one of Scotland’s first Urban Regeneration companies, the scheme evolved out of analysis of both the Craigmillar Urban Design Framework and Greendykes North masterplan. One of the key requirements was that there was to be a tenure mix with a combination of 75% Private to 25% Social Housing.
The Social housing element takes the form of an Older Person Housing block and is located at the most prominent corner of the site. This site was chosen as it was convenient for access to local amenities and shops. However, as the scheme is tenure blind the social housing element is not differentiated from the housing for sale.
There are two innovative aspects of the scheme. The first is the use of homezones with the streets surrounding the urban block being designated as Edinburgh's first homezone district. To facilitate this extensive research and analysis was conducted in conjunction with Ben Hamilton-Baillie, one of the UK’s homezone and shared surface experts. A key element of the approach adopted was how both the street section, and relationship of the front elevations of the buildings to the street, could be utilised to encourage drivers to slow down.
The second innovation is that there is a secure courtyard at the heart of the complex. This comprises a landscaped communal backcourt garden. Opening directly onto this is a belt of private gardens directly adjacent to the ground floor flats and houses.
This feature resulted from extensive community consultation discussions with the local community and potential occupiers and is a departure for an area plagued by a confused relationship between public and private space.
A further innovation with courtyard garden is that the landscaping occurs in two phases. The first phase, constructing the main hard landscaped elements, will occur before the residents move into the complex. The second phase occurs once the development is 65% occupied. This phase will engage the residents in the design of the soft landscaping of the courtyard. It is hoped that this arrangement will give the residents a sense of ownership over the communal space.
The community consultation was a key element of PARC’s approach to development. Engagement with the local community was also encouraged by City of Edinburgh Council. The local authority viewed the application as a prototype in the run up to the new Scottish Planning Bill which placed community engagement at the heart of the planning process. As a consequence of the consultation the scheme achieved planning in 6 months.
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