The creation of a £1.3bn well-connected, sustainable new coastal town at Granton Waterfront in Edinburgh, developed by Smith Scott Mullan in collaboration with C.F. Møller Architects, has reached its next major milestone.
Following a competitive procurement process, the City of Edinburgh Council has announced the Cruden Group as preferred bidder. Cruden has teamed with local award-winning Architects Smith Scott Mullan in collaboration with leading Scandinavian architects CF. Møller to take forward the first phase of the Edinburgh City Council’s ambitious outline business case to regenerate the area. It is hoped the contract will be signed by both parties in the coming weeks.
C.F. Møller has extensive international experience in delivering large scale coastal regeneration and Smith Scott Mullan has significant experience in delivering urban regeneration and residential developments in Scotland. Together they will set extremely high standards using exemplary design to help to develop a blueprint for the Capital’s 20-minute neighbourhood model, making sure those who live in the area have all the facilities they need including workspace, retail and cultural opportunities close to home.
In the next couple of years, the team will engage with pre-development works including detailed designs for around 750 Net Zero Carbon homes for sale and rent, commercial space, new and enhanced sustainable transport infrastructure and public realm which will connect the surrounding neighbourhoods with the Waterfront.
Rolf Nielsen, Architect and Associate Partner at C.F. Møller Architects said: “We are delighted that our proposal, developed in close collaboration with Cruden Homes and Smith Scott Mullan, has been chosen by Edinburgh City Council. Our landscape-led approach with a focus on sustainable communities will create new connections from Edinburgh to the Firth of Forth and we are looking forward to working with our local partners to deliver carbon neutral homes in diverse neighbourhoods rich in landscape quality. I think this endorsement of our design speaks volumes to the talent of our team, and I sincerely congratulate all who were involved.”
Eugene Mullan, Architect and Director at Smith Scott Mullan said: “We are excited by the opportunity to design this new sustainable coastal neighbourhood in Edinburgh. The developer and Design Team have worked very closely and effectively to prepare sketch designs that respond to the aspirational brief for the new mixed-use regeneration area and the demands of the business case. The balance of the international design expertise of C.F. Møller Architects and the detailed local knowledge of our team will create a distinctive and contextual response for Granton Waterfront. We look forward to continuing our long-standing working relationship with both the City of Edinburgh Council and the Cruden Group.”
The first phase of the project will also see the delivery of a new school and medical centre alongside the new homes. In addition, the team will also work on bringing forward a low carbon energy solution for the first and future phases of the project contributing to the Edinburgh City Councils target to reach net zero emissions by 2030.
Fraser Lynes, Director for the Cruden Group said: “We are excited to reimagine Granton Waterfront and create a brand-new coastal quarter that champions sustainable waterfront living with net zero carbon homes, just three miles from the city centre. This new approach to urban development is transformational and will provide a blueprint for the future as we reconnect the Capital to the Firth of Forth and create a new coastal neighbourhood which will become one of Europe’s largest coastal amenities.”
About Granton Waterfront
Just three miles north of Edinburgh’s City Centre, Granton Waterfront has a rich industrial history and maritime heritage. With outstanding views across the Firth of Forth, Granton Waterfront sits in a ‘necklace’ of coastal communities from Cramond in the West to Portobello in the East. Granton is one of Scotland’s largest brownfield sites and one of its most dramatic urban coastal green spaces. It presents an opportunity to spearhead the city’s response to the climate emergency, with an ambitious vision that can truly change the way people go about their daily lives.
