ELIZABETH MAGINNIS COURT HOUSING
Location: Royston, Edinburgh
Client: Dunedin Canmore Housing Association
Programme: Completed 2011
Located in an area of predominantly social housing in North Edinburgh, this project provides sheltered accommodation along with social and community facilities. Sixty-eight self-contained flats are provided along with a cafe, two residents’ lounges and an area for community use.
The concept is to allow the residents a high level of choice and freedom in how they use the building, with the cafe being envisaged as an informal dining space close to the main entrance where visitors can be entertained.
The architectural design is based on strong urban design principles of reinforcing the local street pattern, which has begun to be eroded by demolition and insensitive development. The building gathers round an open courtyard used by both residents and immediate neighbours and is conceived as part of the public realm. The entrance to the building, the cafe and the main circulation areas all look onto this courtyard, providing both interest for the building and a sense of visual security over the space.
The building has been designed to comply with the Edinburgh Standards for Sustainable Building. Its construction provides insulation levels above current Building Regulations. The building also has a communal heating system, partially supplied by a combined heat and power boiler which generates sufficient electricity for all communal areas throughout the building.