WAUCHOPE SQUARE HOUSING

Location: Craigmillar, Edinburgh

Client: PARC Craigmillar

Programme: Completed 2012

This project is part of the ongoing development of Craigmillar, one of Scotland’s three areas being regenerated by an Urban Regeneration Company. The accommodation includes a mix of tenures, including social rented units, mid-market rent and the remainder for private sale on the open market by Link Housing Association.

The house types include terraced houses, mews houses, duplex apartments and conventional flats. Almost all ground floor units have private gardens and the requirement to maximise the number of doors at street level is critical to the design.

The housing is organised around a central communal courtyard that provides activity and recreational space, which is only accessible by the residents.

In an architectural sense, the buildings have a robust appearance and through their use of red brick relate strongly to the adjacent primary school, creating a coherent and unified street pattern. The secondary streets have contrasting white render and express the individual units.

The development is created under the City of Edinburgh Council’s recent Sustainability Regulations, and achieves a significant CO² reduction from current Building Regulations, in addition to an energy contribution from the direct solar panels, which add interest to the distinctive roofscape.