Urban Realm Autumn 2021; issue 47

VOL11 ISSUE47 AUTUMN 2021

TA PE S T RY OF LIFE: GREAT EXPECTATIONS BIG NOISE PLACEMAKING SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARDS

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01

M

I F TO AN ES

As society reawakens thoughts are already turning to the post-pandemic economy and it is Galashiels which is leading the way with The Great Tapestry of Scotland Gallery (pg 32).

too, notably, housing as Leslie Howson reports on Edinburgh’s planned Garden District (pg 68), warning that such developments cannot play the numbers game anymore.

Designed by Page/Park long before the pandemic the building stands at the heart of a bustling High Street thanks to the farsightedness of Scottish Borders Council.

A similar story plays out in student housing (pg 27) where a frenzy of development has long stoked fears of inappropriate development. We assess the future of a sector in flux.

Its aims mirror that of a sister gallery at the other end of the Borders Railway, The Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh (pg 13) which has been refitted by Reiach & Hall.

Amid all this, we bring you all the latest from the Scottish Design Awards (pg 82) and our regular Engineering focus (pg 40) to illustrate the breadth of classleading work being delivered across a range of disciplines.

Together these cultural spaces show that it’s not retail leading the way out of a crisis but culture as a renewed focus on wellbeing causes us all to reassess what is truly valuable.

The shift from material to artistic wealth needs to be heeded in other sectors

It’s been a long dark 18 months but the best work continues to shine bright. Rest assured that Urban Realm will continue to illuminate the issues that matter.

John Glenday, editor

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CONT ENTS QUARTERLY DIGEST 13 FRUITMARKET GALLERY 18 ABERDEEN TOWER BLOCKS 27 STUDENT HOUSING 32 GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND 40 ENGINEERING REPORT 54 VISUALISATION 62 BIG NOISE 68 PLACEMAKING 76 ARCHITECTURE POP-UP 82 SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARDS 96 DIRECTORY 97 PRODUCTS 04

Cover image: Great Tapestry of Scotland Gallery, Page\Park, photography by Keith Hunter

OUR EDITORIAL PANEL INCLUDES:

John Glenday

Mark Chalmers, architecture writer and photographer

Leslie Howson, director Urban Design

Thea McMillan, director, Chambers McMillan

Gioia Sawaya, Allan Murray, Architect founder, Allan Murray Design

Alistair Scott, director, Smith Scott Mullan

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Q U A R T E R L Y D I G E S T J U L

HUB & SPOKE The University of Strathclyde has taken possession of a new Learning and Teaching Building at the heart of its Rottenrow Campus following handover

by BDP Glasgow.

Opting for adaptive reuse of the

BRIEFS Colville Building and B-listed Architecture Building the team estimate that they have saved 67% of CO2 emissions associated with a new build, creating a 20,000sq/m student hub overlooking Rottenrow Gardens.

DEGREES OF FREEDOM

STONE EFFECT

Page\Park Architects are to remodel a C-listed Greenbank Parish Church, Clarkston, including replacing an adjacent non-original hall with new buildings financed by the sale of land for a care home New additions are conceived as a series of courtyard-facing cloisters off the gothic revival main sanctuary and rotated 6 degrees to the retained manse..

31/44 Architects have shared their vision to transform a stubborn gap-site at Findochty Street, Easterhouse, into care and supported living accommodation.

Voyage Care will occupy twin apartment buildings within shared communal gardens, each containing 12 flats to support people undergoing brain injury rehabilitation as well as learning disabilities. Bridging land between Glasgow Fort and a suburban residential estate, the care complex will be joined by a 16-bed care home to provide a stepping stone to independence for residents.

All buildings will be finished in alternating smooth and rough natural sand coloured render with dark red sandstone tile forming a ground floor plinth - a direct nod to historic civic buildings in the area, such as Gartloch Hospital.

URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), with Threesixty Architecture and Currie & Brown, are to build a £9m bioscience-led research centre combining laboratory and research spaces focussed on animal health and disease control.

The Rural and Veterinary Innovation Centre at Inverness Campus will serve as an incubator for new businesses providing products and services for the agricultural economy. Hosting a necropsy suite to conduct autopsies on wildlife and act as a venue for community outreach.

Glasgow Housing Association is heading proposals to create 48 homes for mid-market rent at Ashgill Road, Milton.

Rising on the site of the organisation’s own local office the brownfield Collective Architecture build will rise at the junction with Colston Road.

Standing as a gateway of three staggered blocks with attached cycle and bin stores enclosed by sheltering brick boundary walls the development will be set back from an established tree line to form a small amenity space with all blocks formed from a mix of blonde and grey brick under terracotta roof tiles.

Barratt Homes and EMA have opened a consultation to demolish the historic Wellburn House off Liff Road, Dundee, to progress a new build residential development.

Operated as a care home the late Georgian villa and 7.7-acre grounds were sold to the housebuilder earlier this year.

O’DonnellBrown Architects are taking their innovative supported living collaboration with children’s charity Barnardo’s to Stirling with plans for residential accommodation at Shirra’s Brae Road.

An application for five homes has been filed with the local authority for the latest Gap Homes project, to house young care leavers.

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Q U A R T E R L Y J U L D I G E S T BELLA HOMES

PHOENIX CLUB

BRIEFS

A disused church in the inter-war garden suburb of Bellahouston, Glasgow, is to be redeveloped to provide 35 homes for social rent.

The former United Reformed Church on Mosspark Boulevard opened in 1929 to designs by Thomson, Sandilands & MacLeod has lain empty since 2019, subsequently being acquired for development by Southside Housing Association.

3DReid Architects will employ contrasting red and white brick for the build, including a garden colonnade.

The historic Glasgow Golf Club in Bearsden has risen from the ashes following a devastating 2018 blaze.

Engineering work overseen by Will Rudd Davidson has seen the threestorey clubhouse on Killermont Avenue reinstated, incorporating as much of the surviving listed building as possible.

A rear extension by Wellwood Leslie has also been added..

Halliday Fraser Munro has returned with fresh plans to reimagine Aberdeen’s Quattro House as mixed-tenure apartments on behalf of Faro Properties.

Planning permission in principle is sought to convert the current Altens office block into 64 apartments with a further 32 new build flats alongside following the failure to attract new tenants.

SAUCHIEHALL STREET

Strathcarron Hospice in Denny is to be extended by KKE Architects with a support block and link bridge.

The new-build addition will connect to the main hospice via high-level access and provide a meeting room, offices and support accommodation for hospice staff - freeing up space in the process.

The project will result in a net loss of seven parking spaces to 121 as space pressures reduce with the rise of home working.

ADP Architecture is seeking to raise the bar for co-living on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street with plans for a 13-storey tower.

Spearheaded by Consensus Capital Partners the project will deliver 87 studios and one-bedroom apartments for rent above a ground floor commercial unit at the long-term vacant site stretching to Renfrew Street at the rear.

BREWERY BUSINESS A B-listed brewery in Edinburgh has hit the market with developers being sought to transform the historic industrial complex into an intoxicating blend of homes, commercial units and potential student accommodation.

Now operating as Holyrood Business Park the historic buildings are home to

a range of businesses, including Format Design who are leading the remodelling.

The work will see listed buildings including a rare surviving chimney stack, a cobbled courtyard and stone brewery buildings, originally designed by architect Robert Hamilton-Patterson in 1895, preserved for posterity.

An elevated hilltop home tucked behind a B-listed hotel and a former mill has been proposed for Dunblane by Enspire Architects.

Rising on a steep embankment above the River Allan the threestorey property will rise from a series of formed terrace platforms and retaining walls created for the mill. The house will be topped by a roof garden enclosed by a corbelled stone parapet and wrought iron balustrade, presenting minimal structure to the road.

Detailed plans for a new office block to replace the 1970s Rosebery House in Haymarket with a net-zero carbon alternative have been filed on behalf of insurance giant Aviva.

Led by 3DReid Architects the centrally located build would target the financial and tech sectors supplanting 8,000dsq/ft of floor space that is disconnected from the tram interchange with modern accommodation that maximises the site footprint.

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Q U A R T E R L Y D I G E S T A U G

FASHION VICTIM

BRIEFS Hoskins Architects and ERZ have completed a £9.1m renovation of the David Livingstone Birthplace Museum in Blantyre following a three-year restoration programme.

Undertaken by Clark Contracts the work entailed a full refurbishment of the Birthplace Museum, African Pavilion, Shuttle Row and Weavers Cottage to establish a new exhibition and leisure space dedicated to the Victorian explorer and missionary.

A B-listed art deco style department store in Dundee has been put up for sale in the hope that a new owner can bring forward plans to rescue the forlorn landmark.

The Barrack Street premises operated as Robertson’s furniture store, taking its present form in 1935 with the opening of its

glamorous new premises before ultimate closure in 2011.

Planning permission has been in place since 2018 to repurpose the building and a half-acre of grounds to provide a 215-bed hotel to designs by ADF Architects, but this was never progressed.

LOWERED EXPECTATIONS

GROWTH DRIVER

Impact Scotland are to submit a variation to their planning application for a purposebuilt concert hall in the heart of Edinburgh later this week.

Changes brought about by concerns over scale saw architect Sir David Chipperfield, in collaboration with Reiach & Hall, instructed to downsize the £75m Dunard Centre to appease the owners of the St James Centre. Retaining a neoclassical air the design will connect St Andrew Square to the St James Quarter.

Dunbar Golf Club is to benefit from a brand new £3.6m clubhouse alongside a nine-hole course and upgraded facilities enabled by a residential development of 78 homes.

Plans filed by CALA Homes (East) and G1 Architects show a new clubhouse designed to blend into the coastal landscape, joined by a golf academy, driving range and greenkeeper facilities.

Enabling this investment will be 60 new homes to the south of the site on land occupied by the current clubhouse.

LIVING WALL A historic Edinburgh office block is to be subject to extensive alterations and additions under new plans brought forward by Morgan McDonnell Architects for 28 St Andrew Square.

An internal courtyard and green wall overseen by Rankin Fraser will create a secluded space for outdoor working and socialising amid native plants and trees.

In the process, undercroft parking will be replaced by a cycle store.

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Holmes Miller Architects are proposing to build a high-rise, low carbon apartment block on Houldsworth Street Glasgow on behalf of Kelvin Properties.

The build to rent block will be the latest addition to the Finnieston skyline delivering a range of one and two-bedroom apartments over 12 floors. Billed as an ‘ultralow carbon’ design the gas-free accommodation is entirely car-free and includes 125% cycle storage, two electric rental car places and a green travel plan.

Works will necessitate the demolition of the former Vulcan Smith Works, a four-storey brick warehouse.

Reiach & Hall Architects have finalised plans on behalf of New Gorbals Housing Association and Urban Union to build 64 flats for sale and social rent on two adjoining plots at 99-111 Eglinton Street, Glasgow.

Rising on the former Coliseum Theatre the apartments form part of the western flank of the Laurieston Transformational Regeneration Area, a developing dense city centre neighbourhood, on approach from Tradeston.

New student housing will rise at the former Tynecastle High School site in Edinburgh at the hands of S1 Developments and Michael Laird Architects.

The application calls for the B-listed school, designed by John Alexander Carfrae, to be restored as an amenity hub and community garden.

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Q U A R T E R L Y A U G D I G E S T PEAK PERFORMANCE

PARED BACK

BRIEFS

Southeast Edinburgh pupils have begun the new term in style after Will Rudd Davidson engineers and Holmes Miller architects moved mountains to deliver Frogston Primary School.

Marrying outdoor learning and nature with modern teaching accommodation the new school delivers column-free circulation spaces and an unusually complex roof design designed to emulate the undulating nature of the Pentland Hills.

Network Rail has lifted the lid on revised proposals for the Forth Bridge Experience, a planned visitor centre for the iconic crossing, after undertaking a review to establish where costs could be cut.

The rail body has filed a pre-application notice with The City of Edinburgh Council for its latest plans, which include a ground-level visitor hub designed by WT Architecture in South Queensferry and a high-level ‘bridge walk’ for groups of up to 15 daredevils to experience the engineering marvel like never before.

Dalata Hotel Group has completed the four-star Maldron Hotel in Glasgow city centre, delivering 300 beds ahead of the looming COP26 climate conference.

The £40m Renfrew Street build,

by Consarc Design Group, features a residents gym, bar, restaurant and commands a prominent corner spot overlooking Renfrew Street.

Finished in a combination of brick, cast stone and bronze-effect rain screen panels, the hotel is being touted as a vote of confidence in the city’s tourism industry.

INDUSTRIAL CHIC Thomson Hunter Architects have filed plans for a flatted development at 152 Newlands Road, Cathcart on behalf of Avid Xircon North.

Inspired by the ‘classical’ industrial style of the nearby Weir Pumps factory the homes pick up on the materials and proportions of their neighbour to bed in 31 modern flats alongside traditional tenements.

SKY HIGH Watkin Jones Group with Hawkins Brown has submitted plans for the tallest building in Glasgow as part of a complex of 685 apartments adjacent to Charing Cross Station.

The mixed co-living and build to rent complex will rise on the site of the former Portcullis House on India Street, with 279 rental properties to the north and 406 studio rooms in a 17 storey tower to the south adjacent to Scottish Power.

Hawkins Brown is serving as architect on the scheme which will include a public viewing deck and community space on top of the main tower.

Fife College is to deliver a new education campus in Dunfermline by summer 2024 to foster greater collaboration between academia and business.

Dunfermline Learning Campus equates to an investment of £180m and will see the current Halbeath campus relocate together with St Columba’s RC and Woodmill High Schools to a purpose-built 58-acre site between Duloch Retail Park, Calais Woods and the M90.

Balfour Beatty will commence work on the BDP designed campus this September.

Residential developer Square & Crescent has selected a site at 7 Henderson Place Lane, Edinburgh, for 42 new-build flats.

Morgan McDonnell Architects have been instructed to deliver on this aim by the demolition of a vacant 1980s two-storey office building currently on the 0.2-hectare site.

Formal ground level gardens and planted roof decks aim to treat the building as an ‘urban garden’.

Garroch Investments, with Mosaic Architecture + Design, propose to demolish the current Prince’s House at 51 West Campbell Street and replace it with new build 13-storey block due to the presence of high alumina cement. A formal planning application is expected to land later this year.

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Q U A R T E R L Y D I G E S T S E P

SELF-BUILD An innovative self-build development at Dullatur Golf Course is to break ground this October after gaining planning consent from North Lanarkshire Council.

Eight new build house plots have been created by rationalising the member

BRIEFS car park, with the sale of self-contained development plots serving to pay down club debt in the teeth of local opposition.

S2 Architecture, FK1 Design, Cameron Webster and Abode have all filed individual consents.

Aberdeen is to pivot its city centre towards the seafront with a series of projects designed to establish a waterfront destination.

Having turned its back on the water for decades the city council has approved the designs and business case for a Beach Masterplan by Keppie Design, centred on an integrated stadium and leisure complex by AFL Architects and unified by enhanced public realm.

The Royal High School Preservation Trust have ushered in a new phase to the saga of the Calton Hill landmark with updated proposals for a new National Centre for Music.

Detailed proposals have been brought before City of Edinburgh Council to restore the old Royal High School as a performance venue and music school, drawing a period of uncertainty surrounding the Thomas Hamilton landmark to a close.

LIGHTHOUSE

HALLMARK

Whisky brand Glenmorangie has thrown open the doors to a landmark lighthousestyle distillery in the Highlands near Tain, dominated by a vertical glass stillhouse and sensory laboratory.

Ditching the traditional ‘Doig’s cupola’ distillery design the innovative approach has been championed by Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden together with Franco-Uruguayan practice Barthélémy Griño and Blyth+Blyth.

Reiach & Hall have set out their plans to deliver a £10m film and TV studio within Glasgow’s cavernous Kelvin Hall after securing the green light from planners.

The 4,435sq/m production facility would serve a flourishing screen industry in the city which has welcomed big-name productions including Indiana Jones 5 and The Flash in recent weeks and complement the Moving Image Archive drawn from the National Libraries of Scotland.

RICH TAPESTRY The jewel in the crown of Galashiels tourism has opened with the completion of The Great Tapestry of Scotland Gallery, the custom-built home for a tapestry that brings history to life (see pg 31).

Built around a special tapestry chamber to house the one-off piece, the Page\Park designed gallery rises on the town’s High Street.

URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

A disused Moray bothy is to be transformed into a holiday home by Colin Armstrong Architects to meet the growing demand for tourism accommodation in the area.

Millie Bothy stands approximately 75m from Roseisle Beach in a coniferous forest plantation and is currently in a state of ruin.

The Edinburgh offices of ARUP are to be repurposed as ‘homes set in woodland’ with the construction giant set to vacate their B-listed premises later this autumn.

Property developer AMA New Town have appointed a design team including Kettle Collective, Rankin Fraser and ARUP themselves to oversee the work, which includes conversion of the existing Scotstoun House office and removal of extensions completed by haa design.

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Q U A R T E R L Y S E P D I G E S T CHESSER QUARTER

SWING OF THINGS

BRIEFS

A major brownfield build in the Edinburgh suburb of Chesser is set to transform the area around New Mart Road into an urban quarter.

Watkin Jones Group with Manson Architects envisages a build to rent led development that includes affordable housing and student accommodation on land to the rear of the Corn Exchange concert venue, recently acquired by Academy Music Group.

Development centres on a former cattle mart more recently in use as a football and bowling venue.

Forth Ports is to invest a six-figure sum in repairing and refurbishing the A-listed Victoria Swing Bridge in Port of Leith to serve as an outdoor community space.

Heritage specialists LDN Architects have been commissioned for the job which will see the counterweight swing bridge redecked and repainted later this year while retaining its distinctive wrought iron character.

Asset manager Sovereign Centros has opened a consultation into a long-term 20-year ‘vision’ for Glasgow’s St Enoch Centre. The ambitious road map will pivot the centre away from retail towards a broader mix of uses including entertainment, 1,700 homes, offices and a four-star hotel of 290 rooms over 25 storeys.

Leslie Jones Architecture is leading the masterplan with landscape architects Oobe and consultants Iceni Projects, Woolgar Hunter and Atelier Ten.

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM Artists residency Cove Park has unveiled an outdoor classroom overlooking Loch Long, designed to facilitate conversations around issues arising from a changing climate such as flooding and reduced biodiversity.

Conceived by architectural scientist Mae-ling Lokko and architect Tom Morton the timber temple is situated within the retreat’s 50-acre Argyle estate, where a collaborative build process is underway that draws on the expertise of students and professionals in Ghana.

TARLAIR POOL Studio Octopi, in partnership with Heritage Architecture, has been appointed by the Friends of Tarlair Community Group to undertake a full restoration of Tarlair Outdoor Pool in Macduff, Aberdeenshire, following an invited tender.

The A-listed Art Deco structure will undergo a further two phases of work after the structure of the toddler pool,

boating pool and terraces were secured in 2015. Phase 2 will see the historic pool reopen for the first time since the 1990s with the inclusion of a tea room, social space, workshop and toilets followed by restoration of the swimming pool closest to the sea at a later date.

Construction will begin in 2022 subject to £1.3m funding.

Stallan-Brand Architects alongside Oobe landscape architects have lodged plans for a combined leisure centre, theatre, library and cultural facilities in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, following consultation with the public.

The replacement Eastwood Recreation Centre will rise within Eastwood Park, enhancing the landscape setting around the C-listed Eastwood House while providing upgraded leisure, culture and education facilities.

Primary construction is slated to begin by next autumn, with the existing facility remaining in operation throughout until a switchover sometime around 2024.

A burgeoning residential neighbourhood at Granton Harbour has taken a step toward greater cohesion with the completion of 104 affordable waterfront homes.

Delivered by the Port of Leith Housing Association the Hackland and Dore designed courtyard block was delivered by CCG with structural engineers Bayne Stevenson Associates and services engineer The Keenan Consultancy. Construction began in March 2019 with completion this August and securing the lowest environmetalimpact rating.

Classic Oak Flooring in Washy Grey Brown & Brown Architects Dapple Photography

Russwood Ltd, Station Sawmill, Newtonmore, PH20 1AR T: 01540 673648 E: mail@russwood.co.uk www.russwood.co.uk

FRUITMARKET GALLERY

13

JOHN GLENDAY

A £4.3m revitalisation of the city centre gallery bears fruit

Y I N

&

AS EDINBURGH’S FRUITMARKET GALLERY OPENS ITS DOORS FOLLOWING A £4.3M REFURBISHMENT AT THE HANDS OF REIACH & HALL ARCHITECTS WE LOOK AT THE CREATIVE FORCES UNLEASHED BY A COLLECTIVE EMBRACE OF THE LIGHT AND DARK-SIDE OF DESIGN. PHOTOGRAPHY BY RUTH CLARK.

YANG The cultural vacuum caused by the coronavirus pandemic is, at last, being filled with a resurgence of live events, travel and entertainment as lockdown restrictions are eased. In tandem with our restored freedoms, Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery has thrown open its doors to allow creatives to unleash their pent-up potential within. As one of the first through its doors Urban Realm not only admired the work of the artists inside but also the efforts that have gone on behind the scenes to create a space worthy of display.

Led by Reiach & Hall Architects the £4.3m revitalisation has seen the existing space refurbished and extended into a neighbouring vegetable warehouse as part of a general move from nourishing the body to the mind. Updating a building that has already led several different lives, most recently at the hands of Richard Murphy Architects in 1991, the latest refresh has been driven by a pressing need to provide more gallery >

14

FRUITMARKET GALLERY

Opposing light and dark forces lend each gallery a distinct atmosphere URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

15

Above - Full frame glazing opens up the Market Street frontage as a ‘shop front’ for artists Below - An accessible ramp carries visitors on a descent from the light filled main gallery to its dark-side.

space for artists.

Those demands have led to the undoing of virtually all the changes made during the 1991 refit, much to the chagrin of Richard Murphy Architects who lament the loss of their work after just 30 years. Murphy refused to be drawn on the changes when asked but his upset is palpable in a terse statement posted on the practice website: “Almost all of what we designed; the staircase, entrance desk, bar/cafe, front door and wc’s have been destroyed. The first-floor gallery has lost all its views out to the surrounding city and has been reduced in size at either end, and the east and west clerestories no longer exist. The new project cost £4.5M; our project in 1991 cost £350,000. We leave visitors to make their own assessment of the ‘improvements’.”

Despite Murphy’s wishes and widespread respect for the sensitive remodelling, culminating in a 1993 RIBA Award, the gallery had to act after becoming a victim of its own success as it rapidly outgrew its home with increasing constraints on programme capacity seeding growing frustrations. This finally came to a head in 2012 with the commissioning of a feasibility study to establish how the venue could be extended, a process which eventually saw Reiach & Hall Architects come on board.

Explaining the need to act director Neil Gillespie told Urban Realm: “The gallery needed more space. There’s nothing underneath us, produce came in underneath with rail tracks to the side and there are World Heritage restrictions on building up. The gallery needed more space, however, there were real challenges to extending up and down.

Unable to expand upwards, the Fruitmarket opted instead to sidestep restrictions by acquiring the former Electric Circus nightclub next door. This inspired a form of architectural dualism that sees the creation of two very different ‘white’ and ‘dark’ spaces. “We tried to express the different qualities of each”, says Gillespie.

“It was all about quieting the whole thing down. The original galleries are seen as a series of white spaces, abstract and precise. Surfaces are smooth and continuous while detail and material expression are suppressed. The palette in the

warehouse, by contrast, is dark and sensual. It is a space that relishes the directness and crudeness of the existing steel frame, the strength and texture of the brick walls and the industrial timber floor. The mood is intense, almost visceral.”

Much of the work took place behind the scenes with the installation of new services, walls and plant machinery. A newly installed lift has been turned 90 degrees to face the circulation areas instead of impinging upon prized gallery space at the head of the commanding new central staircase.

The entire Market Street frontage has been opened up and now boasts full-frame glazing to serve as a continuous public shopfront for resident artists, as well as housing an accessible ramp connecting the more traditional light-filled gallery to its nocturnal counterpart.

Stripping out and reusing the timber joists and floorboards to assemble an atmospheric pitch black screen that blocks off the new access corridor has left a steel-framed, brick-lined >

16

FRUITMARKET GALLERY

Left - Visitors can benefit from an enlarged cafe and bookshop, encouraging longer dwell times Right - Sculptor Karla Black opened the new look gallery with a mix of works assembled from unconventional materials

industrial space that lends itself to performance and visual art, like a little brother to the Tate Modern Turbine Hall. “There’s still a sense of light coming through as the timber screens are purposefully not solid”, notes Gillespie. “There was a horrendous accumulation of decades of karaoke booths. What we said was why not strip it back to its structure and take out the top floor. There was a sense that we could create an almost medieval layer.”

Doubling the gallery’s footprint, the renovation and extension have permitted a wealth of complementary new facilities to be created including a learning studio, enlarged information room, cafe and bookshop.

The increasingly rapid pace of change around us can be as bewildering as it is expensive with the Fruitmarket Gallery doubtless hoping that their new, new home is future-proofed to a greater degree than its short-lived previous one. By responding to present-day needs the gallery is positioning itself on the leading edge of a cultural revival where individual pursuits of wellness and wellbeing power the kind of recreational economy at which Edinburgh excels.

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18

ABERDEEN TOWER BLOCKS MARK CHALMERS

MU L T I

STORY

ABERDEEN’S TOWER BLOCKS HAVE LONG RISEN ABOVE THE COMPETITION BUT DO THEIR RECENT LISTING BY HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND SPELL SUCCESS OR TROUBLE? MARK CHALMERS INVESTIGATES A LOOMING CONFLICT BETWEEN THE HERITAGE BODY AND THE CITY COUNCIL.

Today Aberdeen has a housing crisis – but not the type of housing crisis you’d expect.

Rather than a shortage of affordable homes, Radio Scotland reported in July that the city has the highest proportion of unoccupied houses in the UK. In this case, there are at least 3000 unaffordable homes in Aberdeen … but the issue making the Press & Journal’s front page is the fate of the city’s tower blocks.

Scottish councils don’t build high rises nowadays. The era of tower building demonstrated public patronage on a glorious scale, but in recent years high rise social housing has become a Rorschach Test for politicians, sociologists and journalists.

People see what they want to see when they look at a tower block, and that’s usually something negative.

The first high-rise tower in the UK was Frederick Gibberd’s The Lawn, a nine-storey butterfly-plan block built in Harlow in 1951. It was followed a few years later by the Alton Estate at Roehampton, which became a benchmark for multi-storey concrete housing blocks. These were the forerunners of the Age of the Tower Block.

The architectural experimentation of the early towers was lost once two competing techniques for tower block construction became predominant. Non-Traditional construction covered a range of methods, the most successful of which was the Wimpey “No Fines” in-situ concrete URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

technique. Its rival was industrialised or system building, which became popular in the mid-1960’s, with Bison, Skarne, Jesperson and Anglian developing large panel precast concrete systems.

Yet tower block fervour was in danger of outstripping safety legislation. In 1962 the Scottish architect George Fairweather chaired the government committee which drew up a new fire safety code. Whilst in the throes of drafting it, he took a group of students to see system-built flats being erected in Greenwich. It became apparent that when concrete panels didn’t fit, a labourer attacked them with a sledgehammer until they did. “Mark my words,” said George, “One day one of these bloody things will fall down just like the Tay Bridge.”

His words turned out to be prophetic. In 1968 a gas cooker blew up in a flat at Ronan Point, a system-built block in West Ham. Rather than wrecking the interior of just one flat, the explosion brought down an entire side of the tower block. It collapsed like a house of cards. Fairweather later said, “One day the truth will come out about that building. Either Ronan Point will have to be taken down, or it will fall down of its own accord.”

After that, local authorities fell out of love with tower block, and half a century later, the tragedy at Grenfell Tower initiated another period of soul searching. You’d be forgiven for thinking that high rise housing was doomed in 1968, and doubly so after > 2017. The rational conclusion is that tower blocks are a flawed

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Seamount & Porthill Courts, study of facades

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ABERDEEN TOWER BLOCKS

Left - Sky bridges linking Seamount & Porthill Courts Right - Marischal Court from west, with modern housing on Virginia Street in foreground

typology – but our appetite for simple truths in a complicated world often denies the reality.

Aberdeen did things differently at every stage of the social housing journey. Back in the 1930’s, the journalist George Blake described Aberdeen as “the most Scottish of Scottish cities” and its Housing Department has a long history of following its own path. During the decades after the War, Aberdeen Corporation was comparable to Camden Council’s Architect’s Department in its appetite for innovation, although because it’s 500 miles too far north, it has received none of the acclaim.

The city began experimenting in the 1930’s, when Leo Durnin borrowed from Red Vienna to create a great horseshoeshaped Modernist tenement at Rosemount Crescent. The twist here was that, being Aberdeen, it was built from granite.

At the same time, a Non-Traditional prototype known as the Aberdeen Corporation In-Situ Concrete House was developed, and 120 were built in the late 1930’s. The city also constructed 40 timber-framed chalet bungalows clad in cedar boarding and shingles at Kincorth; they’re among the very earliest timberframed houses in BRE’s mammoth Non-Traditional Housing study.

Aberdeen’s spirit of independence continued after the War. In April 1950, Baillie Frank Magee, the city’s housing convenor, declared that there were still appalling slums in the city which must be wiped out. “We are not going to build tenements, but URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

something we will be proud of, and something I hope that may win another Saltire Prize”.

The city was slow to adopt high rise housing, so it was Magee’s successor Councillor Robert Lennox who combined forces with Aberdeen City Architects Department, under the supervision of chief architect George Keith, to map a tower block strategy. As it happens, Robert Lennox was the great uncle of Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox, although he achieved something she hasn’t so far – becoming Lord Provost of Aberdeen.

Keith and Lennox were inspired by their visits in 1959 to multi-storey housing schemes at Roehampton Estate in London and Hutchesontown in Glasgow, so Aberdeen decided to design its own blocks rather than adopting standard “package deal” solutions from Wimpey or Bison. While the blocks further out at Seaton, Tillydrone and Midstocket are similar to high rises elsewhere in Scotland, the city centre blocks at Gilcomstoun, Gallowgate and Castlehill are unique.

The towers on Gallowgate make dramatic use of the sloping land towards West North Street: Seamount Court and Porthill Court grow out of several tiers of concrete car park. The towers on Castlehill – Virginia Court and Marischal Court – were deliberately placed on the highest point of the city centre in order to command Union Street. The Gallowgate and Castlehill blocks share a common approach: an 18 storey slab block with >

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ABERDEEN TOWER BLOCKS

Seamount & Porthill Courts, Gallowgate from east

a 9 storey slab block set at right angles to it, tied together with sky bridges.

Further west, Gilcomstoun Land and Thistle Court lie behind Union Street and to the north, Hutcheon Court and Greig Court are less dominant, but loom over the giant roundabout at Mounthooly.

This is architecture at its toughest and it commands respect. The blocks were clad with precast concrete faced in silver granite rubble which weathers well, sparkles in the sun and acknowledges the materiality of the city. Granite was still being quarried in the city during the 1960’s, and Aberdeen was self-sufficient in concrete panels too, thanks to the precast factory which John Fyfe ran at Rubislaw Quarry, and the Adamant works at Dancing Cairns.

Yet the true innovation in Aberdeen’s tower blocks isn’t visible from the outside. They employed one of the original ideas of Modern Movement, the scissors section, which made it possible to build dual aspect flats with efficient circulation. Le Corbusier gets the credit here, as they were developed from the dual aspect, interlocking flats he conceived for the Unité d’Habitation in Marseilles.

British architects travelled to France soon after the Unité was completed, and shortly afterwards the through-plan flat was adopted by London County Council Architects department. Most of the British examples are in London: Erno

Goldfinger’s Trellick Tower and Balfron Tower use “overlapping” section flats, whereas Kenneth Frampton’s Corringham block in London is a true “scissors” section, as are the “up-and-over” maisonettes in Willoughby House at the Barbican.

The most efficient way to plan flats is with rooms set along the perimeter and circulation in the core: that maximises natural light and ventilation and generally gives the best ratio of net to gross floorspace too. However, in slab blocks that usually means either dark internal corridors which are double-loaded with single aspect flats, or numerous vertical cores which only serve a handful of flats. Deck access is one way to get around that, but scissors section flats are a better-resolved solution.

Put simply, a cross-plan or interlocking flat locates the kitchens, living and dining rooms along one aspect, connected to bedrooms on the opposite side by an internal flight of stairs.

The internal stairs bridge over a circulation corridor, which typically runs along every alternate storey, and the adjacent flat is mirrored in two axes, so that two flats drawn in cross section begin to resemble a pair of scissors. In order to understand it properly, you need to draw it.

The long elevations at Gallowgate and Castlehill are powerfully articulated with concrete balcony beams and spandrel panels influenced by the Unité. Another Corbusian feature are the sky bridges: Erno Goldfinger was similarly inspired and just like Trellick Tower, the blocks in Aberdeen are >

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ABERDEEN TOWER BLOCKS

Left - Marischal Court, detail of facade Right - Seamount Court with West North Street car park in foreground and Porthill Court behind

tied together by walkways many storeys up.

Aberdeen’s slab blocks also have the communal facilities which high rise flats in other cities lack: the towers’ podiums have teak-lined entrance foyers, with laundry rooms, drying areas, and in some blocks community rooms too. Ground level is where George Keith’s circle of influence widens, because the towers are set on faceted piloti which owe more to Marcel Breuer than Corb.

The influences from International Modernism were married to the Scots tradition of building vertically, which stretches back to medieval tower houses. Z-plan towers such as Claypotts Castle in Broughty Ferry were cited by Basil Spence as a precedent for his high rise flats at Hutchestontown in Glasgow, and the influence was also picked up by Robert Matthew with his Queen’s College Tower in Dundee. These truly are Scots tower blocks.

Most authorities gave up on their tower blocks a decade or two ago and began demolishing them, but Aberdeen kept the faith: it was the last city in Scotland to build a high-rise block, in 1985. It also carried out maintenance and provided concierges, thus avoiding the blight of graffiti, vandalism and anti-social tenants which created ghettoes in the sky elsewhere.

Taken together, this group of eight tower blocks in Aberdeen is as good as anyone erected during the 1960’s.

They’re unique in combining granite cladding, scissors section URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

flats, sky bridges, and maintaining a link with tower-house building. They’re of their time and also their place – and crucially, Aberdeen’s blocks aren’t system built like Ronan Point, nor have they been overclad like Grenfell Tower.

For all these reasons, Historic Environment Scotland awarded the blocks a Category “A” listing in January 2021.

Aberdeen now has more listed tower blocks than anywhere else in the UK, including London – but as Joseph Heller wrote, there was only one catch, and that was Catch-22.

In April 2021, Aberdeen City Council appealed against the listing and the Scottish Government is considering what to do next. Although the tower blocks’ concrete-framed and concrete-clad construction is both fireproof and has a high thermal mass, the thermal insulation is poor by today’s standards. The Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) was introduced by the Scottish Government to drive up energy efficiency, and that inevitably means upgrading the building fabric.

Elsewhere, councils have over-clad tower blocks with rainscreen panels or rendered external wall insulation – but in Aberdeen, the towers’ “A” listing would preclude that.

Hence Catch-22, either architectural heritage or sustainability.

Hopefully we’ll find a way to reconcile the two, rather than them becoming the poles of an argument which ends in delisting, or worse.

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RAKKAUS FURNITURE SAY HALO TO NET-ZERO CARBON KILMARNOCK PROJECT

Left - Rakkaus will pay fitting tribute to their hometown Below - A crowning ring of light illuminates Kilmarnock’s future

Ayrshire based commercial interiors specialists Rakkaus Furniture have been awarded the furnishing contract for the first town centre net-zero carbon energy project in Scotland, HALO Kilmarnock.

Situated next to the state-of-the-art Ayrshire College on what was once the busy and bustling site of Jonnie Walker, the world’s leading Scotch Whisky producer, the HALO Enterprise and Innovation Hub will stimulate digital learning, inspire innovative thinking and support the Ayrshire economy.

Spearheaded by Dr Marie Macklin CBE, chair of HALO Urban Regeneration, HALO Kilmarnock will create a dynamic commercial, educational, cultural, leisure and lifestyle quarter of the town, fueled by renewable energy, where people can live, work, learn and play.

Rakkaus Furniture joins a delivery team led by Keppie Design, acting on behalf of the Klin group and HALO Urban Regeneration, to deliver the furniture and flooring package for the major urban renewal project, installation of which will commence over the coming weeks for completion this autumn.

Chris Arkley, managing director of Rakkaus, said: “I have known Marie Macklin for a number of years now and her plan for this site in Kilmarnock is nothing short of visionary. We are excited to have such a forward-thinking development in our

town and to be part of its interior is awesome.”

Rakkaus are particularly excited by HALO’s zero-carbon vision which includes the use of 100% renewable energy, centralised battery storage and electric transport. Arkley continued: “Our business has sustainability at its core, from our personal mentality to climate change all the way through to our supply chain”.

Commissioned furniture will be made from recycled components from the car industry, as well as sustainably sourced timber for seating and low carbon manufacturing processes. Rakkaus will also be providing the BREEAM certified carpet tiles.

Based in Kilmarnock town centre, Rakkaus has long been established as the premier supplier of commercial furniture and flooring to companies across the UK and beyond.

Tel: 01563 501 887 Web: rakkausfurniture.co.uk

STUDENT HOUSING

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© DENNIS GILBERT

JOHN GLENDAY

Intricate brickwork at the University of Cambridge adopts arts & crafts principles

CAMP U S CAL CU L US AMID A PIVOT TO ONLINE LEARNING WE LOOK AT HOW COMMUNAL LIVING MUST CHANGE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A FAST-EVOLVING SECTOR. WILL TODAY’S DIGS STAND THE TEST OF TIME AND IF NOT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE DIFFERENTLY? HAS A LONG-RUNNING BOOM RUN ITS COURSE?

The glut of student accommodation delivered in recent decades raises questions about how such buildings may be repurposed as demand shifts and how design can play a role in ensuring the sector can survive and thrive through the uncertain years ahead. With many buildings lying empty as remote learning takes hold, what are the challenges and opportunities facing education?

Rapid professionalisation of the sector has seen the ‘Bottom’-style stereotype of dilapidated digs in haphazard rooms give way to professionally managed blocks drawing hundreds of students together in one building with all the everyday amenities you could need under one roof - and higher rental fees to match. This process has fed interest from overseas students wary of living in a foreign country

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STUDENT HOUSING

Left - Student housing continues to rise at a breakneck clip Right - Newnham is founded on Walter & Cohen’s collegiate approach

and stoked tensions from people worried about the concentration of transient populations on their doorstep but is there a ‘right’ mix of accommodation and will recent trends survive the post-pandemic reset?

Among those practices with a stake in the future of the sector is Walter & Cohen Architects, fresh from delivering student accommodation for Newnham College at the University of Cambridge. Partner Cindy Walters believes that the future of student accommodation lies in mixed-use developments that are microcosms of the wider city.

Stressing the importance of consultation Walters told Urban Realm: “Newnham is all about communal living and consultation was central to the vision for the project.

“In line with good design practice the Dorothy Garrod Building at Newnham is intentionally flexible and includes many design features the students asked for during the consultation; openable windows, direct access to the outdoors, balconies and roof terraces, that have proved invaluable during the pandemic.”

Babak Sasan, director at BMJ Architects, who has experience of delivering a 398-bed student development at 366 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, while at Corstorphine + Wright, said: “I thought it would stop but at the moment the reliance of universities on the sector to boost income is still URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

there. The reason for that is two-fold, 28%-plus of students come from China where the standard lease is 12 months not 10 and students often come with family. Foreign students still view the UK as a top degree destination that is worth more than competing countries.”

Asked about the possibility of converting such buildings for other uses Sassan added: “At a push, halls could be repurposed as a hotel. It’s a night/day difference from when I was a student with well thought out common spaces and airport-style lounges.”

One downside of the push for space has been the rising incidence of deaths associated with students falling from their buildings, including the death of a 20-year-old woman in Wolverhampton over the summer. Sassan said: “Higher than regulation parapets can help, you cannot police everywhere.”

Student housing may be the sector that everyone loves to hate but its attraction for investors, foreign students and universities means it will take much more than a pandemic to pull the rug out from beneath the feet of developers.

Instead, a period of evolution is on the cards as strides are taken to deliver on affordability and attractiveness and self-contained facilities become the norm rather than the exception. In the process student housing shows that it iremains one of the most versatile construction sectors. >

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© DENNIS GILBERT

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STUDENT HOUSING

Left - West Park Residencies for the University of Dundee was shortlisted for the UK Timber in Construction Award. Photographer Colin Fraser Wishart Right - This feasibility study for another Dundee build illustrates the importance of prioritising placemaking early on URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

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Alistair Scott Smith Scott Mullan Associates It is estimated that the UK has nearly 2.5 million students in higher education. As a consequence of housing such numbers, student accommodation has become one of the major components of our built environment.

Monasteries, Oxbridge colleges, red brick and plate glass universities have all contributed to housing our scholars, however, in terms of the overall impact of the massive expansion in higher education during the late 20th century and the aspiration to provide accommodation for most first-year and overseas students led to new typologies and funding models emerging, with the private sector becoming a major provider. Quality varied greatly, from soviet era type bocks to international exemplars such as Steven Holl’s juxtaposition of grid forms and porosity at M.I.T. One of the largest shifts was from the communal “Halls of Residence” to the now ubiquitous “cluster block” of 5 or 6 individual rooms with en-suite facilities and a communal kitchen, developed in forms ranging from 4 storey courtyards to high rise point blocks.

Recent research however has identified a limitation in this model as it can restrict social interaction

(particularly with overseas students) and a rebalance towards a more collegiate viewpoint seems likely.

As student housing has spread beyond the campus it has impacted existing communities, often gaining a “bad press” with local residents objecting and mustering political support. This issue is about balance within a neighbourhood, and we should recognise that not only do students bring vitality to an area but as a typology student accommodation offers advantages of density, car-free development and ground floor facilities, all of which support our sustainability and place-making goals such as the 20-minute neighbourhood.

As to our post-Covid future, hopefully, the next emphasis will be on quality, and diversity of type as older stock gets replaced. Health and wellbeing and online tuition will be major issues, while the rise of commercial build to rent, will have the impact of blurring boundaries between mainstream and student housing.

All this will need significant input from the design professions, and we must not lose sight of the key role that student housing plays in allowing our young people to gather, socialise and build the aspirations that will shape our world in the future.

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THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND JOHN GLENDAY

IN THE HEART OF GALASHIELS A NEW GALLERY HAS BROUGHT FRESH VITALITY TO A STRUGGLING HIGH STREET WITH A BUILDING THAT STANDS AS A NEW SYMBOL FOR CULTURE-LED REGENERATION. WE LOOK AT HOW DARING ARCHITECTURE ALLOWS THE TAPESTRY WITHIN TO BE APPRECIATED ANEW AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR BROADER REGENERATION IN A PROUD TEXTILE TOWN. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEITH HUNTER.

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THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND

Previous page - A jagged roof profile is reflected internally to maximise headroom Above - Right angles are hard to find at the faceted Gala gallery

In the heart of Galashiels, a new museum has begun weaving its magic to tourists and locals alike having stitched a custom-built gallery to the High Street that provides a home for The Great Tapestry of Scotland.

Built around a single exhibit the gallery provides a permanent home for the history-making tapestry, in a faceted first-floor chamber that displays the one-off creation, which was painstakingly assembled at the hands of a thousand stitchers. Condensing 12,000 years of history into a single cloth the tapestry represents the vision of Alexander McCall Smith and was designed by Andrew Crummy with an accompanying narration written by Alistair Moffat.

This unique creation demanded a unique environment to do it justice with the challenge falling to Page\Park Architects, who have spent the past 6 years delivering the build on behalf of the Scottish Borders Council. Explaining the lengths the practice went to with the project architect Suzy O’Leary told Urban Realm: “Gala is a really important place to locate this tapestry, as a textile town it was hugely prosperous in the 19th century but since lockdown, like a lot of regional towns, it has struggled. The council wanted to kickstart regeneration by locating a cultural building on the High Street.

“We needed to make it relevant to Galashiels, not something parachuted in, it’s about the local people, their history, the landscape and the town. It’s located in a valley by the River Tweed in the town centre and a conservation area. You look out over a roofscape that we wanted the gallery to nestle into.

That’s where the folding roof started. We didn’t want just a big white block.”

“It tells the history of Scotland and was made by the hands of a thousand stitchers, predominantly older women who do not necessarily have a strong voice in society. It was important to showcase this in a celebratory way.”

At 143m the tapestry is almost as long as the history it documents presenting practical issues around how best to display a two-dimensional artwork in a three-dimensional building without recourse to a daunting linear route. O’Leary said: “It travelled around Scotland for six years and we went to see it a few times. It’s very long and almost too much to take in at once so we needed to design it in a way that made it easier to digest. We developed a radial plan which was about creating smaller galleries inside the bigger gallery so you got an impression of the size of it and the length of time it covers.

A corridor experience is very tiring and it becomes hard to >

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THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND

Left - The tapestry has been split into more easily digestible panels Right - Strategic windows look out in all compass directions to the surrounding landscape URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

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concentrate. The circular movement works well in the compact building.”

Rooted in the historic High Street as a modern addition to a jumbled skyline, the gallery houses a central chamber formed from folding fabric walls that merge with the ceiling, with the radial artwork sweeping around the room in one continuous linear display. At each corner generous windows look out to the surrounding hills, grounding the display space in its environment. Above the first-floor tapestry room, an oculus looks down, lending a spiritual quality to the space that is as far removed from the traditional white box gallery as it is possible to get, delivering a far more dynamic and tactile response - but why pursue such a radical solution for something as traditional as tapestry? “Box galleries are all about flexibility and displaying different types of work. This was about displaying a single object, though huge,” explained O’Leary. “The council wanted the architect and the artist to work together to create an immersive experience.”

This process of collaboration hinged on close dialogue with Crummy to ensure the tapestry display was not compromised in any way. O’Leary recalled: “We asked if there were any natural breaks in the story or any panels which had to be together. He said it’s a linear story but you can jump in and out of it. Although they are hung chronologically it doesn’t matter to him where >

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THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND

Above - Structural Axo Below - Roof Axo

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Left - The 143m tapestry documents key events from the past 12,000 years Right - The gallery doubles as a place for social gathering

the breaks happened. We just didn’t want to break it up into multiple galleries where you might lose the sense of scale.

“The ceiling started with the folding roof but there was a pragmatism to the interior. The roof trusses are really big as is the ring beam which they sit on. If you put a ceiling on it would appear short because the structure is so big, so it was shaped to follow that structure and grab every last bit of space available.

With the fabric, we just wanted something that referenced textile production and the fabric was finished in Galashiels in a colour inspired by the landscape. The tapestry is colourful so our interiors have a subtle palette. It doesn’t feel like a ceiling but rather a sculptural object.”

Connected by a glazed link to the B-listed Old Post Office building the visitor centre responds to its ornate neighbour with vertical and horizontal bands of stonework, likened to the warp and weft of textiles. O’Leary continued: “We do a lot of conservation work so we spent a lot of time looking at the history of the place and trying to understand its essence. The post office houses an education room, it was in great condition so we didn’t do much to it but that post office was a symbol of the prosperity of Gala. It was important to link back to that history. We used the width of the stone banding in the Post Office to inform the striated facade of our building. We also carry through first-floor datums to bring the two buildings together.”

Opening at the right time to spearhead Galashiels postCovid recovery the gallery has already given rise to several yarn shops that have opened up to cater for a flood of visitors making the trip down from Edinburgh. This has been aided by an open embrace of the street as O’Leary explains: “The entrance to the building cantilevers out over the street, it was an existing condition but we shaped it so you see it in the street as you walk down from the train station. You can also see out down the High Street when climbing the main stairs so there is a strong connection, it engages with the town.”

In an era of standardisation where traditional crafts can feel as distant as the history represented by the tapestry, the gallery points to a greater symbiosis between art and architecture where elements of craft and local trades replace off the shelf products and globalised trade. The result is a building that fashions not just an improved connection with history but a confident embrace of the future.

Client: Scottish Borders Council Structural Engineer: Goodsons Associates Services/Fire engineers: Atelier 10 Project management/cost consultant: Turner & Townsend Main contractor: Ogilvie Construction

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ENGINEERING REPORT

Max Fordham marry a gallery, a bridge and a sculpture in one shape-shifting building at Kistefos, Norway URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

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URBAN REALM LOOKS AT THE ROLE ENGINEERS CAN PLAY IN HELPING TO BUILD BACK BETTER. WHERE ARE THE PROJECTS, WHO ARE THE PEOPLE AND WHAT ARE THE PRACTICES WHO ARE HELPING US NAVIGATE ALL THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF A FAST-CHANGING WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN?

ROL L

MOD E L S Kathryn Donald, Partner and Digital Design Leader Max Fordham (Edinburgh) How has your office adapted to changed working practices?

Over the last few years, we have been focused on digitalising our engineering processes and delivery. We are seeing real benefits of this, including the ability to automate tasks, improve innovation, and save engineers a considerable amount of time. This had additional benefits at the start of the pandemic with engineers able to access tools and information seamlessly when working from home.

The next stage of this development is structuring our engineering data, enabling more automation of tasks and, more importantly, better sharing of what solutions have the biggest effect on the environmental impact of the buildings we design.

What role can engineers play in decarbonising construction?

Minimising the impact the construction industry has on the planet is a huge task and no single group can change the status quo by themselves, it is going to take a concerted effort by all. At Max Fordham, we have taken our Building Services Engineers Declare commitment seriously and now provide a free net zero carbon service on all projects, which includes an early-stage workshop, suggestions of energy strategies that could achieve a net zero carbon building, and undertaking two years of post-occupancy evaluation.

This enables us to deliver better buildings in occupation and > to learn lessons we can then integrate into future designs. © LAURIAN GHINITOIU

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ENGINEERING REPORT

What’s the key to a successful partnership with the architect?

Communication is key. Good communication fosters trust and, with that, a good working relationship. In my experience, most misunderstandings or issues on projects arise through inadequate communication.

The need to decarbonise construction requires us to adapt our approach to designing buildings; what we have done in the past isn’t going to cut it anymore. Good communication and sharing of information/designs between design team members is even more vital if we are going to be successful.

Isla Jackson, Chartered Structural Engineer Civic Engineers How can engineers build back better?

Engineers have an absolutely fundamental role to play in building back better. Even before the pandemic we were living in an age of disruption. There was much debate about the future of our cities and how the challenges relating to them are intrinsically linked to the global climate crisis. As engineers, our aim is to solve complex problems through a creative process that improves people’s quality of life.

We want to create and revitalise spaces, structures and neighbourhoods so communities can flourish and thrive.

This is about placing climate sensitivity and its protection at the heart of all we do and unlocking the power of place and community.

What project exemplifies your studio ethos?

Glasgow City Council’s Custom House Quay project exemplifies our ethos. This complex project demonstrates our love of working in a truly collaborative way, our ability to solve complex problems, our belief in looking at places and buildings as part of a wider neighbourhood rather than in isolation and our technical excellence across engineering disciplines. It also reinforces our vision that everything we do should have a positive impact on the environment and enhance people’s quality of life. Custom House Quay will see an attractive waterfront area created by extending the River Clyde’s north bank and upgrading quay walls to create mixed use development plots, as well as the creation of an enhanced green space.

How has your office adapted to changing working practices?

Like everyone else, we had no other option than to adapt quickly and implement remote working. Our team embraced this challenge and we ensured we supported them by focusing heavily on internal communications and ensuring that our values, particularly in relation to collaboration, curiosity and helpfulness were truly lived.

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Grey is out at Anderston Station as Civic Engineers make the best of the daunting undercarriage of the Kingston Bridge

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ENGINEERING REPORT

Above - BakerHicks are on the frontline of a health revolution at The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre Below - David Narro Associates have played a central role in establishing Claypits Park as a haven for people and nature

This meant that despite the fact we were not under the same roof, a strong team ethos remained. Looking to the future, we have worked with our teams to shape what our ‘better normal’ looks like. We want to take the benefits of remote working with us but also believe that consistent time together in our studios is crucial to ensure we continue to learn, collaborate, innovate and most importantly spend time with each other.

Mairi Murray Principal BREEAM Assessor & Sustainability Champion BakerHicks How can engineers help to build back better?

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed social and economic weaknesses we need to overcome, but it also demonstrated just what we can achieve by working together. As an industry we need to take this lesson and apply it to the other great threat our world faces: the climate change crisis.

It is imperative that we are constantly challenging the status quo in our designs and looking to innovate and learn from other countries. Sustainability should be at the heart of our designs; we need to specify low carbon materials and encourage reuse; and performance standards should be continually reviewed and improved upon.

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How has your office adapted to changed working practices?

The past 18 months have seen working practices turned on their head as we became accustomed to working remotely.

While flexible working is something we have embraced for a number of years, the pandemic has meant we, like many others, are adopting the hybrid-working model, allowing people to work where they function best. Teams, Zoom and the other digital communication tools that allowed us to keep communication lines open, creativity to flow and projects to develop are here to stay. This all leads to time efficiencies, increased productivity and, coupled with improved access to wellbeing tools, a happier workforce.

What role can engineers play in decarbonising construction?

The built environment and construction industry is one of the largest contributors to the UK’s carbon emissions, with energy consumed at every stage of the infrastructure lifecycle. Change is needed to ensure we meet net zero targets and engineers will be instrumental in leading this.

Employing design principles such as LETI, Passivhaus and BREEAM or taking inspiration from pioneering architects will ensure projects put environmental issues front and centre. Right down to the individual materials and processes specified, engineers play a vital role in decarbonisation. It is important that we keep challenging, learning and innovating to keep driving this forwards.

Ben Adam Managing Director David Narro Associates What project exemplifies your studio ethos?

We’re extremely proud of the reputation we’ve built up for our collaborative design approach. A prime example is our ongoing work on the Glasgow School of Art following the devastating fires. This is a very complicated project with high architectural requirements. It’s critical that we integrate our designs with multiple stakeholders and other designers. Effective communication and collaboration have been so important. As a project, it also showcases our expertise at working with Category-A listed buildings to enable conservation and refurbishment of spaces, while respecting the original structure – in the case of the GSA, a world-renowned and iconic building.

What role can engineers play in decarbonizing construction?

Engineers can play a vital and pivotal role in decarbonising the construction industry in a variety of direct and indirect ways.

They can propose alternative green construction

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ENGINEERING REPORT

methods within designs that reduce carbon content. It’s also important that engineers provide clients with all the different options (and consequences) of material choices, not only from a cost perspective but also the carbon implications – and have robust methods in place to measure the embodied carbon in the structural designs.

Engineers can also provide advice and support through industry associations such as ICE and IStructE to inform and influence policy makers in government.

What’s the key to a successful partnership with the architect?

As in all relationships, effective communication is absolutely vital to success. The Practice has been operating for over 35 years, and in that time, we’ve established and enjoyed long term partnerships with many architects. We approach every project with a ‘new’ architect on that basis – it could always be the start of a beautiful relationship! Developing mutual trust, understanding and collaborative ways of working always makes projects run smoother and with much better outcomes.

It’s always exciting and rewarding to work synergistically with an architect as part of a design team.

David Cameron Director Atelier Ten What project exemplifies your studio ethos?

In 2018 we completed the new Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Pollok Park. We are very proud to have worked with the team at the Hospice on this project, which began in 2011. The design challenges palliative care convention through innovative thinking, resulting in unique open space. A warm homely atmosphere has been created where the critical care services are entirely integrated and largely anonymous.

Our work on this project merged much of our key values: innovation, teamwork, client care and user psychology. We have a huge picture of the building on our office wall.

How has your office adapted to changed working practices?

At Atelier Ten we have wholly embraced flexible working, investing in equipment to allow our colleagues to work effectively from anywhere. We have however recognised the need for face-to-face collaboration, this is particularly important for junior members of staff. And as such we’ve formed working groups to allow defined teams to all be in the same place at the same time at least one day each week. This blends the efficiency of home working with the support and vital creative energy of face-to-face peer working. Dedicated mentors also help to ensure everyone is learning and no one is being left behind.

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What role can engineers play in decarbonising construction?

Engineers are fundamental to decarbonising the world. But this can only happen if they themselves believe in the issues and are passionate about environmentalism and climate change.

People can only be convinced on the correct course of action by individuals who are passionate and knowledgeable. And this needs to permeate right through a company’s culture. We have in-house debates on modes of transport, food, agriculture, short-life clothing, micro-plastics, and a whole lot of other things entirely unrelated to the construction industry. But this creates energy, enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge, shaping ourselves and our culture.

Raymond Slaine Managing Director Goodson Associates Limited How can engineers help to build back better?

Engineers through the generations have been at the forefront of driving change including the industrial revolution and post

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Left - The Great Tapestry of Scotland Gallery (see pg 32) boasts exacting climate control features led by Atelier Ten Right - Goodson Associates have helped establish a sense of place at Edinburgh Bioquarter through infrastructure improvements

war. The delivery of new areas of regeneration in our cities is allowing a rethink of our neighbourhoods. Places where people can live, work and play. The concept of 15 minute neighbourhoods is a prime consideration and a key factor in a number of our current commissions including Wester Hailes Regeneration, Edinburgh and Lauriston Living, Glasgow Our team are excited to use their engineering design skills to develop sustainable solutions that can be delivered with efficiency and innovation from inception to construction and beyond.

What project exemplifies your studio ethos?

The new M&G Office Building and infrastructure works, at Kildean, Stirling best showcases our capabilities and “can do” attitude. Delivered during the pandemic the project demonstrates our hands on approach across both the structural and infrastructure demands of the development.

Working with our Client and Team partners we developed practical and cost-effective solutions for a site challenged by flooding, poor ground conditions and flat topography.

The M&G Office is a fantastic example of design development through remote working from utilizing the analysis model to then inform the Revit model which has been invaluable to evolve and integrate both the structural and civils designs along with all the other disciplines.

How has your office adapted to changed working practices?

Our team adapted with ease to home working, and we are really appreciative of the efforts and commitment of each member of the team. Going forward we’ve embraced our hybrid working model giving the opportunity and flexibility to share time in the office and home. One of our team’s strengths is collaborating the wealth of experience we have within all our four offices. This model ensures we can continue to support and develop our younger team members whilst providing flexibility.

Ultimately, we’re a creative industry which thrives on sharing and challenging our ideas. Our hybrid model allows communications through different platforms in parallel with the much-valued person to person meetings.

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226 West George Street, Glasgow G2 2PQ Tel: 0141 333 0499 Email: Francesca.bell@atelierten.com Website: www.atelierten.com Twitter: @AtelierTen Principal Contacts: Bill Ritchie, Director, Peter Kerr, Director David Cameron, Director Year of Incorporation: 1st November 2010 No. of staff: 68 staff Atelier Ten are an international awardwinning team of building services engineers, environmental designers, fire engineers and lighting designers. Spanning eleven offices, yet with a total team of approximately 300 staff, we enjoy a reputation as being at the forefront of our profession.

As founding members of the UK Green Building Council, our staff assume leading roles in our industry. From visiting Professor of Sustainability at Yale University to leading roles within the British Council for Offices, REVO (formerly the British Council for Shopping Centres) and British Property Federation, our projects reflect our enthusiasm and passion for learning.

Recent projects: Edinburgh One; King Street Masterplan; New Perth High School Recent awards: • JP Morgan, Glasgow, UK Scottish Property Awards - Deal of the Year • TECA, Aberdeen, UK Scottish Property Awards - Development of the Year (Commercial Buildings) • Market Street Hotel, Edinburgh Scottish Design Awards - Architecture: Commercial/office/hotel building or project • Chivas Brothers, Glasgow, UK BCO Scotland Regional for Fit Out of Workplace • Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh, UK Scottish Design Awards - Architecture: Building Re-use Civic Trust Awards - Highly Commended GIA Award for Leisure/Arts (2019)

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Great Tapestry of Scotland Client: Scottish Borders Council Location: Galashiels, Scottish Borders The Great Tapestry of Scotland is a 143m long work of art which is currently the world’s longest embroidered tapestry. The tapestry depicts 12,000 years of Scottish history. Since its public unveiling in 2013, it has gone all over the country as a touring exhibit, however the time has come for it to lay down its roots permanently. The museum contains a large dedicated display room, allowing the public access to the entire tapestry. Also included is a visitors shop, administration space and a café. Atelier Ten have considered and advised, in detail, the conditions required for the tapestry display, paying particular attention to the environment within which the artwork shall be on show. The building utilises enhanced thermal performance, low energy lighting, passive ventilation and daylight linking controls in order to achieve low energy performance. A detailed lighting scheme, both internally and externally has been worked up in order to compliment the artistic impression created by the architectural team Page\Park.

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Trilogy One, 11 Woodhall, Eurocentral, Holytown, Motherwell ML1 4YT (with other offices in London, Manchester, Warwick (HQ), Derby, Basel, Bern, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Ulm, Vienna and Zürich) Tel: 01698 738111 Email: contact@bakerhicks.com Web: www.bakerhicks.com Twitter: @BakerHicks_1957 Principal Contact: Laura James, Head of Scotland Year of Incorporation: 23 May 2007 (trading commenced 27 July 2007) No. of total staff: 1,000 (including permanent, agency and European offices)

The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) An innovative research, development and manufacturing facility, the new MMIC in Renfrewshire will help solve major pharmaceutical industry challenges and accelerate access to affordable medicines.

A collaboration between CPI, the University of Strathclyde, UK Research and Innovation, Scottish Enterprise, GSK and AstraZeneca, the Centre will provide academia, industry, healthcare providers and regulators with access to cutting-edge technical equipment and knowledge. Operating at a commercial scale, it will industrialise novel techniques for producing patientcentric medicines, transforming manufacturing processes and providing a clear pathway for their adoption.

Over the past three years, BakerHicks have delivered multi-disciplinary design services, including architecture, civil and structural, mechanical and electrical, pharmaceutical consultancy, and process engineering. They are now working with the main contractor, Tilbury Douglas, providing principal designer advisory services as construction progresses, with the project topping out this August.

With its suite of clean rooms needing to support a range of different processes and industry 4.0 manufacturing technologies, and the specifics of these not necessarily known, the facility is designed to be a fluid and dynamic as possible. The space is able to be reconfigured easily, with large columnfree spaces enabling different processes to be accommodated and allowing for future expansion, ensuring it can react to changing industry needs.

BakerHicks are a design, engineering and project delivery company that specialise in complex infrastructure, process and built environments across the full project life cycle. Their disciplines range from initial architecture to civil and structural, building services, specialist high voltage and process engineering services, project management, and CDM consultancy, using the latest innovations in Building Information Modelling (BIM) for the most efficient and cost-effective design.

Recent Projects: BakerHicks are providing design and engineering services across a wide-range of projects within the aviation, defence, life sciences and manufacturing, nuclear, power, public sector, and rail industries.

In the Scottish region, this includes: • Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) • HMP Glasgow • Allander Leisure Centre • Perth High School • North Muirton Primary School • HMP Highland Other projects nationwide include: • Ulster Hospital • Dorset Visual Improvement Programme • Barnard Castle Aseptic Manufacturing Facility • Stanford le Hope Rail Station

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ENGINEERING REPORT

Gresham Chambers, 45 West Nile St, Glasgow G1 2PT Tel: 0141 370 1829 Email: isla@civicengineers.com Website: www.civicengineers.com Twitter: @civicengineers Principal Contacts: Isla Jackson, Craig Turner Year of Incorporation: 2013 No. of staff: 134 Civic Engineers are civil, structural and transport engineers who work to create inspirational structures and places that have a positive impact on the environment and enable people to lead happier and healthier lives. With studios in Glasgow, Manchester, London and Leeds our 135 strong team have extensive experience of delivering projects that help to create and transform buildings, neighbourhoods and cities and bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits for those who live, work and visit them. Civic Engineers was established in 2013 and is led by Founding Directors Stephen O’Malley and Julian Broster, who have worked together since 2001.

Recent projects: • Custom House Quay • Upper Achintore Fort William • Glasgow Science Centre • Glasgow Avenues Recent awards: • CIHT 2021 – Commended, Employer of the Year

Transforming Anderston Station Client: Glasgow City Council in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies Location: Anderston Station, Glasgow We have been leading the design team, alongside artist Gabriella Marcella, to transform the entrance at Anderston Station for COP26, and beyond, to improve connectivity, pedestrian and cyclist wayfinding and revitalise the public space through an innovative Asphalt art installation, as well as the introduction of benches and raingardens. The project helps to make the area a more inclusive, more climate resilient, safer place.

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n Head Office 34-36 Argyle Place, Edinburgh, EH9 1JT Tel: 0131 229 5553 Email: mail@davidnarro.co.uk Web: www.davidnarro.co.uk Twitter: @DavidNarroAssoc Principal Contacts: Ben Adam, Managing Director. Natasha Lang, Practice Manager.

Year of Incorporation: 1986 No. of Total Staff: 80 David Narro Associates is an employeeowned Consulting Structural & Civil Engineering practice with offices across Scotland. With 35 years’ experience, the practice has expertise in all sectors including conservation, residential, commercial, industrial, community projects, education, health facilities and the public sector.

Projects include new builds, alterations and refurbishments, conservation of historic buildings and monuments, as well as landscaping and townscape improvement works. Our engineers and technicians always take sustainability and energy efficiency into consideration. We aim to specify materials in our designs which can be locally sourced, are durable, and/or have minimal environmental impact in either their production or disposal.

Claypits Park Regeneration, Scottish Canals, Glasgow The Claypits Park regeneration consists of the large-scale redevelopment of part of Scottish Canals Infrastructure. The masterplan’s focus is in the area from the historic timber basin near Firhill Stadium following the canal south to Applecross Street, the location for the Scottish Canals’ Headquarters. The project provides an important role in contributing to the health and wellbeing of the surrounding community.

The project involved significant changes to the landscape and topography, which we modelled in 3D to ensure this was accurately designed. We also designed underground drainage, an extensive network of paths and several bridges, including a scissor bridge which will be one of the few examples in the United Kingdom.

Recent Projects: • The Burrell Collection – upgrade and refurbishment • Scottish Canals – Claypits Park regeneration • National Galleries of Scotland – Landscaping • Inverness Castle – Redevelopment • Glasgow School of Art – ongoing conservation and restoration work Recent Awards: • Scottish Design Awards 2021 Commended Projects: The Larick Centre – Collective Architecture; Powderhall Intergenerational Passivhaus Facility – Collective Architecture/Urban Pioneers • RIAS Awards 2021- Kyle House, Sutherland – Groves-Raines Architects; The Egg Shed, Ardrishaig – Oliver Chapman • ACE Awards 2021 – Best UK Consultancy (Small & Medium) - Shortlisted

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ENGINEERING REPORT

53 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7HL Tel: 0131 226 2044 Email: admin@goodsons.com Website: www.goodsons.com Principal Contacts: Raymond Slaine, Andy Mitchell, Euan Dale and Shona Tait Year of Incorporation: 1993 No. of staff: 75 Recent projects: • New BT Offices Dundee • Masterplanning and Infrastructure Design Edinburgh Bioquarter • M&G Office and infrastructure Enabling works Kildean Stirling • Perth City Hall Redevelopment • Waterfront Plaza, Ocean terminal Edinburgh • Tain Campus • Currie High School Campus Recent awards: • National Centre Inverclyde for Sports Scotland – RIBA National Award 2021 and RIAS Award 2021 • Bertha Park High School for Perth and Kinross High School – RIBA Winner of the Scottish Transforming Learning Award for 2019 • Waterfront Plaza, Edinburgh for Cala Homes – Scottish Home Awards Innovation in Design 2020 • Laurieston Living for Urban Union • Jedburgh Grammar Campus – Partnership Awards 2020 – Best Education and Higher Education Project

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Edinburgh Bioquarter Infrastructure works Client: University of Edinburgh Location: Little France, Edinburgh Bioquarter is developing to be a Global Destination for healthcare delivery, groundbreaking medical research and life sciences innovation. Goodson Associates are providing Civil and Structural engineering services on the current expansion of the Institute of Regeneration and Repair and the sitewide infrastructure.

The initial phase of infrastructure is to enable the next stages of development and includes roads, SUDS and segregated cycleways. The team also delivered the first phase of public realm, providing a direct link through the centre of the site for pedestrians and cyclists moving between Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary, research buildings and the forthcoming Usher Institute and NINE (life sciences innovation centre).

This link has been named Fairfield Walk the name of the walkway is in commemoration of the Edinburgh Seven, the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university, who helped change education forever and eventually allowed women to qualify as doctors in Britain.

Sophia Jex-Blake led the Edinburgh Seven and in her essay ‘Medicine as a Profession for Women’, published in 1869, she argued that the only way to determine whether women had the same intellectual ability as men was through ‘a fair field and no favour’ – to ensure that women and men were taught the same, tested the same and if successful, awarded the same degrees as each other.

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Exchange Place 3, 3 Semple Street, Edinburgh EH3 8BL Tel: +44 (0)131 476 6001 Email: post@maxfordham.com Website: www.maxfordham.com Twitter: @MaxFordhamLLP

IMAGES © LAURIAN GHINITOIU

The Twist Client: Kistefos Museum Location: Kistefos, Norway Architect: BIG The Twist is a gallery, a bridge and a sculpture, all in one, providing 1,000m2 of dramatic gallery space spanning 60m across the Randselva River.

In collaboration with BIG and an international team, Max Fordham developed the environmental design and MEP systems from initial concepts through to detailed design.

From the outset, we worked closely with the client and art curators to develop an environmental brief that could deliver the desired occupancy, flexibility, light, views, and sustainability, while ensuring conservation of international contemporary art collections.

Advanced digital tools were vital to ensure the successful delivery of this complex brief in a beautifully elegant gallery. We used parametric modelling techniques to assess, inform and optimise various architectural design options. The outputs allowed us to test annual daylight exposure levels and inform the best locations of various types of artwork within the gallery.

In The Twist, the floors and ceilings transition into walls. This made the services distribution very complex to design, coordinate and communicate to the design team and contractor. 3D modelling was crucial for establishing and coordinating services routes. Shared Revit models were used throughout the design process, with clash detection at the detailed design stages.

Principal Contacts: Colin Hamilton (Senior Partner and Edinburgh Office Leader), Mark Palmer (Senior Partner), Andrew Leiper (Net Zero Carbon Leader) Year of Incorporation: 1966, Edinburgh office opened in 2003 No. of staff: 235 across five UK offices, 36 in Edinburgh Max Fordham is an environmental building services engineering consultancy. For over 50 years, they have engineered energy, air, light and sound to bring buildings to life. From their offices in Edinburgh, London, Cambridge, Manchester and Bristol, they have worked with the world’s leading architects on some of the world’s greatest buildings. Max Fordham’s portfolio includes award-winning exemplars of sustainable design and a diverse mix of beautifully engineered buildings. The practice numbers more than 235 people in five offices around the United Kingdom and is a Limited Liability Partnership (essentially employeeowned), with 121 partners.

Recent Projects: • King’s Stables Road, with Fletcher Joseph Architects • The Engine Shed, Stirling, with Historic Environment Scotland and Reiach and Hall • Leeds Playhouse, with Page\Park Architects • Tollcross Housing Association Offices, with Elder and Cannon • Monifieth Parish Church, with Lee Boyd Recent Awards: • CIBSE: Building Performance Award 2021 (Residential) for Max Fordham House • CIBSE: Building Performance Award 2020 (Public Use and Building Performance Champion) for The Engine Shed • Stage Awards: Theatre Building of the Year 2020 for Leeds Playhouse • RIAS: Andrew Doolan Award (Shortlist) 2019 for Tollcross Housing Association Offices • Scottish Design Awards: Commercial/ Office/Hotel Building or Project 2019 for Tollcross Housing Association Offices

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GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION

V I SUAL

ART

THE JOURNEY FROM PLANNING TO CONSTRUCTION IS OFTEN DEFINED

BY COMPROMISES BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THOSE LIMITATIONS ARE STRIPPED AWAY? IN A WORLD WHERE PHOTOSHOPPING HAS BECOME AN ADJECTIVE URBAN REALM SPEAKS TO ARTISTS ON THE FRONTLINE BETWEEN REALISM AND IDEALISM TO ESTABLISH WHERE THE BOUNDARY SHOULD LIE. A quiet revolution is underway in how architecture is presented to clients and public that goes beyond depictions of an unrealised future and raise important considerations around style and substance here in the present. As visualisations become the conduit between the profession and the public, do these images describe what’s being delivered more precisely than words or are visualisations simply not honest enough?

To get to the bottom of this Urban Realm spoke to Grant Watson, director ar Touch3d Media and asked whether visualisation can mislead? “Absolutely. Sometimes visuals can be over-embellished and the artist and designer/architect can push things too far to mislead people on the impact a building might have on a certain area, or make everything look unrealistically utopian. I guess it depends on the aim of the visualisation, but I’d say successful visualisations aren’t just pretty pictures, they show an accurate and truthful representation of how something will look, and I think it’s ok to show that in its best potential light.”

Offering a different perspective Andy Pennington, founder of Float Digital said: “People have been critical of the role of visualisation, implying it’s been used to mislead people in certain circumstances. I don’t disagree that some visualisation can misrepresent what a final design looks like and it can be done deliberately but there is a danger in tarring all visualisation with the same brush. You have a snapshot of a process and you can’t tell how much difficulty the design went through, you don’t know what budget discussions were involved. There are a lot of reasons why a visual might be different from the result. If I was a betting man I’d bet on the result probably being different to URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

what the architect wanted.

Visualisation is a storytelling process and humans have a long culture of storytelling. It’s part of who we are and visualisation is a modern embodiment of that. It doesn’t mean you’re dishonest, you’re sparking peoples imagination about what is possible. Without sounding too cheesy that’s how we change the world, it’s a manifestation of our thoughts and imaginations.”

Do the competing demands of authenticity and marketing present a contradiction and how do you strike the balance between realism and idealism? “Good visualisation has a lot in common with photography in that the camera doesn’t lie, but you can persuade, refine and enhance images. I don’t think there’s an issue with that,” says Grant. “Good visualisation should be taking the design and showing the product in its best light and make it attractive to the clients.”

One issue affecting the industry is their dismissal as skilled mimics, reproducing the work of others rather than displaying genuine creativity. Is there any truth to this? “Like any niche service, there can be a lack of understanding from clients (and probably transparency from us too) of the process involved. “...we have clients asking us to ‘just fudge it’ with Photoshop when they want certain items added in or moved around last minute, without realising the intricate process we have gone through to arrive at the finished image. Then there are the people who say ‘that’s not a visualisation, that’s a photograph’, which I’ll take as a nod of respect.”

At the heart of how visualisations are perceived is the >

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The stars align for Float Digital in Riyadh for Qiddiyah, an entertainment megaproject

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GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION

Left - Lynwood by Touch3D on behalf of Brown & Brown illustrates the beguiling qualities of photorealism Right - The Camphill Centre by Float Digital illustrates the ability of visuals to communicate complex plans at a glance

growing schism between ‘proper’ art of the real world and digitally-based mediums which are increasingly taking over in fields as diverse as virtual reality and non-fungible tokens.

Is there still a lingering artistic snobbery that distinguishes between visualisation and traditional hand drawing? Grant says: “It takes an artistic approach to be able to create good visualisations. Composition and colour are a big part of creating an aesthetically pleasing image, and perhaps most importantly, so is the creation of an atmosphere. Looking at real life and being able to take that into a computer-generated visual is also very important – I’m often stopping out on walks to look closer at patterns in vegetation, light reflections and how shadows form.”

Taking a different tack Pennington, told Urban Realm: “I’ve worked on jobs which have been signed off internally based on visualisation alone, no CAD work was necessary. Do they give credit to the visualiser when released? Probably not.

That’s a different type of appreciation. It tends to fall under the banner of whoever commissions the visualiser. People respect photographers copyright and they know there will be repercussions while with visualisation I don’t think there is the same respect.”

Do the ease and accessibility of visualisations replacing drawings at planning meetings? Grant adds: “I’d say they go URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

hand in hand and one can complement the other. Not everyone requires visualisations or sees them as essential, whereas more controversial developments may benefit hugely from having them included in their planning applications.” Pennington says: “More and more these days people are wanting to talk over visuals rather than drawings. You could argue they shouldn’t but that’s the reality of it.

“That’s why visualisation has become more mainstream and important. Clients understand how valuable visualisation is to the process - particularly when drafts come through and they realise they’ve underestimated apsects of their design and ask you to change it. It’s satisfying as one of the best things you can do as a visualiser is influence it for the better not just portray a design but be a part of the design process.”

In a field like architecture where plans, schematics and drawings can be difficult to interpret there is an alluring immediacy to the context, lighting, colours and tones of a visualisation which convey richness that is absent in a blueprint.

With visualisers taking a backseat role Pennington admits it can be disheartening to know that oftentimes their work will go unrecognised but is relatively sanguine that the public, by and large, is exposed only to the finished product. Describing the role of played by ethics in this conflict between authenticity >

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and marketing he adds: “You need to create an idealised representation of what is to be delivered,” he says. “But you also have a responsibility to be authentic.” Does this give you any leeway to stamp your creative freedom? “There is freedom because that is part of the briefing process. Sometimes the true problem isn’t what the client thinks it is. A lot of the time architects have the solutions already decided and they want you to do it for them. I’m not doing it for me or the client. I’m doing it for the person coming to the consultation who is going to object, that’s who we are trying to reach here. It’s not uncommon for a client to come to me looking for a photorealistic render and left happily with a conceptual matte painting, they understood it was more important to captivate people’s emotions.”

Is the media to blame for pushing coffee table publications, and should a broader range of styles and approaches that don’t just conform to expectations be encouraged? “The earlier you can involve a visualisation artist in the process the better will be your design,” says Pennington. “We can bring something to the process which will support your thinking in unexpected ways. It’s not so much a supplementary process as a collaboration. We still get people coming to us at the 11th hour and I laugh to myself, drawing is a graph of time against stress. Architects will work on a project for years and throughout that period, you will have peaks of stress at particular stages of delivery such as review periods or sign-offs. The tip of those peaks usually involves a visualiser for submissions, bids and design reviews. A visualisers timeline is full of those crests back to back!

“We used to be sent models, less so now with Revit and we would spot architectural problems with the designs. It would become apparent walls wouldn’t meet where they said they would and columns would be offset. There were discrepancies we would spot as visualisers and flag with the design team.”

How does the Scottish visualisation sector perform are there lots of new studios snapping at your heels with class-leading work or is the industry still underdeveloped. What’s the local picture? “Boutique studios are coming through that are doing very high-quality work. For a long time, nearly 15 years, there was only Soluis.

“They were comparable with some of the biggest visualisation studios in the world. Covid could have quite an effect on how companies change hiring practices and there is an opportunity to capitalise on that. We would commission freelancers to help who would either work among us or remotely, some could be based abroad. What this has shown is you can build a team that way.”

The role of visual artists as a gatekeeper between professions and the public carries responsibilities that are only likely to increase as technology expands the boundaries of what is possible. From new tools of interaction to a loosening dependency on local talent, the landscape of what can be achieved can only grow. In the right hands, this can help people to collaborate seamlessly together rather than just painting over the cracks.

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Touch3D acknowledge visualisers must skirt the boundary between realism and idealism

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The landmark ’40 for 40’ initiative sees Parkside and Strata Tiles contribute 40 pence per square metre for tiles of 40% or more recycled content specified in projects.

Through the charity’s Buy an Acre programme, ’40 for 40’ preserves crucial natural habitats - since its foundation in 1989, the World Land Trust has helped to secure more than 2million acres in over 20 countries. With more than 40 tile ranges available with 40% or over recycled content and that number growing, it is a meaningful commitment to positive change.

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collection of more sustainable surface products, including the biodegradable and 100% natural Criaterra and 98% recycled Sequel wall tiles. And across all collections, Parkside and Strata Tiles are using their considerable influence to work with manufacturers towards better efficiency and product innovation.

Chris McGlennon, says; “There’s no doubt that specifications are increasingly under the microscope for environmental impact and that sustainability will only become more prevalent in every decision we make in relation to projects. Along with a fantastic portfolio of tiles and a range of specialist services, Parkside and Strata Tiles are leading environmental dialogue in the tile industry and so I’m delighted to be able to introduce them to Scotland’s architectural and design community.”

Chris McGlennon will be representing both companies, providing a full range of product and services. The partnership will also see the establishing of a Sustainability and Design Studio in Glasgow opening early in 2022.

For further information, 01505 610252, www.stratisuk.com

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BIG NOISE JOHN GLENDAY

SOUND

I DEA

IN A WORLD WHERE THOSE WHO SHOUT LOUDEST ARE THE FIRST TO BE HEARD A GRASSROOTS MUSIC CHARITY IS HITTING ALL THE RIGHT NOTES WITH A LOW KEY YARD RECLAMATION PROJECT. URBAN REALM SPEAKS TO THE GROUP OF ENTERPRISING STUDENTS BEHIND THE BUILDTO SEE HOW A DISCORDANT SPACE HAS BEEN MADE TO SIT IN HARMONY WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS. A group of Mackintosh School of Architecture students under the banner of In The Making have taken their education into their own hands by initiating and delivering The Big Noise Yard Build in Govanhill after the pandemic called a halt to their hopes of work placement. Conscious of the potential gap in their education Lily Whitehouse, Zoë Hyatt, Kester Samsom and Kasia Antoszyk left the campus behind to venture out into the community and transform a disused yard into a useable space for the music charity Big Noise.

With self-initiation not part of the curriculum it fell to the enterprising quartet to find a client and a project, a task made easier through having worked with the charity previously on university coursework. It is a proactive approach that finds a corollary in the legal action being brought by another group of 35 students under the banner of the Art School Racket which has instructed law firm Harper MacLeod to take action against the school for failing to provide adequate tuition during the pandemic, proving that now more than ever students must make some noise if they are to be heard.

Operated by Sistema Scotland, a charity dedicated to harnessing the power of music to strengthen challenged communities, the Big Noise Yard is part of a network of similar spaces designed to welcome children from diverse backgrounds and teach them teamwork skills through music. Antoszyk explained: “Music is the means by which they engage with the kids and we reached out to their Govanhill centre and said we’re going to do a self-build co-design... is there something that we could do for you?” The approach paid off and the In The Making team soon found themselves in a disused back alley to work their magic and create a useable space.

“Initially it was to be a back alley recording space for kids URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

In The Making..

Making

BIG NOISE YARD BUILD.

to practise their music because they couldn’t play instruments inside due to Covid, so they would play outside in front of the building. But then throughout the workshops, we found the kids just wanted to have a place where they can go and enjoy themselves.”

Belying their client’s title In The Making is a quiet intervention that has struck a chord with participants by illustrating the impact that co-design can have on young people and their communities. Are low key and small scale the answer to improving local environments, bolstering community cohesion and bringing purpose to young people? Antoszyk told Urban Realm: “It’s so important that communities get involved, even on a small scale, it’s made a big difference for those kids we worked with.”

Lacking previous experience in undertaking such builds >

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BIG NOISE

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Repurposed tins of beans kept everyone on the straight and level

the students turned to Building Together community interest company, who are specialists in facilitating the design and build of community projects, to make sure that the work was done properly and to code. “It was really important for us to use reclaimed materials”, says Antoszyk. “So we used timber from Glasgow Wood Recycling, the parts were not modular but we built them all ourselves. The kids were building it with us. Obviously, under supervision because of all the drilling and hammering.”

Built in just three weeks the programme was as rapid as it was stressful with Antoszy recalling long hours on-site with safety being paramount at all times. “We were with the kids two days a week for three weeks. Outside of those two days, we were there in rotation and we tried to push it forwards a

little because it wasn’t feasible to finish everything within six days with the kids safely in mind and with such a small group, so we had to do bits ourselves, but most of it was done with the children.” Complicating matters further was the global pandemic raging around them with the outdoor work providing welcome respite from rolling news coverage of events beyond your control. “We tried to keep as safe as possible. We were outside the whole time, getting tested and you know, making sure we didn’t sneeze at one another,” recalls Antoszyk.

With the sawdust now settled are the team happy with what has been achieved and could the initiative be rolled out elsewhere? “When we started we didn’t necessarily have a fixed vision because it was the kids themsekves who decided what space wthey preferred and what the structure would look >

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BIG NOISE

Left - Students were on hands with their young charges to repurpose an underutilised scrap of land Right - No children were harmed during the making of The Big Noise yard

like. They were the ones designing it and we were just there to support them and help them out and explain how to do certain things.

“Most importantly the kids were happy because what we think is one thing but more important is what the kids thought and they were all very pleased with how it turned out and then we got some feedback from their teachers who also said it’s used and it’s going great.” With Antoszy now out of the country studying for her masters, it falls on the shoulders of Whitehouse, Hyatt and Samsom, who have just begun their part 2 architecture programme, to undertake follow-up workshops with the client that will include painting the structure and adding more decorative elements.

The decision to go it alone presented a steep learning curve for a team more accustomed to academia than imperfect reality, so what was it like to serve as your own boss? “There was a lot of time management around four different schedules but we were very fortunate to have help from Building Together, they gave us good advice on where to look for funding and how to plan out our work. It was stressful but we learnt a lot very quickly and I think that’s not necessarily the type of thing that we would have learned at university during that time. It wasn’t just the construction knowledge that we acquired, but how to run a project, obtain sponsorship and to collaborate.”

Before picking up tools the team reached out to over a dozen professionals to establish what lay in store for them, with URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

the findings published in an online zine as part of Architecture Fringe.

The team are keen to ensure that their newly acquired skills can be applied to future work, with conversations continuing about establishing similar spaces elsewhere. One advantage of the post-covid economy is that remote working means it is not as vital for everyone to be in the same place at the one time.

“Our experience of this way of working is a strong fit for future work,” says Antoszyk.

By grabbing the initiative In The Making has shown a canny knack for publicity that demonstrates what can be achieved and inspires others to pick up the cudgel. It is one thing to have a written body of work but quite another to have delivered something tangible. Offering some words of encouragement for others considering a similar path Antoszy said: “It seems difficult and may be an achievement as a student but there are so many people who are willing to help and if you just reach out to the right people the process gets much, much easier. We were very lucky in the sense that we were in touch with people who were keen on helping.”

Looking ahead the team have yet to decide if they will maintain their collaboration but are appreciative of the experience gained at a difficult time, bringing hope to others in the process. In The Making has shown that the best lessons in life are often those taught outside the classroom and learnt from experiences.

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Young musicians now have a sense of ownership of the reclaimed space

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MAKING WAVES WITH SIG ZINC & COPPER A rather unusual group of light industrial units have appeared on the dockside at Shoreham Port, one of the largest cargo handling Trust ports in the south coast. The creative vision for these new industrial units became a reality through the skills and expertise of metal roof and cladding experts SIG Zinc & Copper.

The Lady Bee Enterprise Centre is one of three projects

by ECE Architecture within Shoreham Port Authority, yet architecturally it is the least conventional. Though a Design & Build project, it doesn’t look like traditional industrial units.

Project Inspiration Client Tim Hague of Shoreham Port explains the main drivers for the project: “Shoreham is a trust port, meaning we have a duty to boost the local economy and create jobs.

The fourteen commercial units have been arranged in three blocks and combine a flexible arrangement to expand the space in each unit to a maximum of 18,000ft2.”

Inspiration for the unusual roof structure came from a combination of necessity and the heritage of the site.

The saw-tooth roof profile evokes a wave form while the standing seam roofing which wraps down on the northern facades echoes the hull of a ship. Finally, the shingle cladding and ‘fisheye’ windows are inspired by the local fishing industry.

Choosing Zinc Martin Gray, project architect at ECE Architecture, explains; “we were always going to use a metal cladding system to reflect the industrial setting, but with a building like this there was an opportunity to suggest something non-standard.

SIG Zinc & Copper specified elZinc Advance Range,

not only for the availability of colours and shingles but also for its protective coating which provides a barrier to salt damage. The team chose two colours of elZinc for the project; Matt Grey elZinc Slate Advance for the standing seam roofing, while pearl-grey elZinc Crystal provides an almost iridescent effect for the fish-scale shingles.

The installation of the elZinc shingles was unusual.

Rather than vertically hung, they follow the 20 degree south-facing pitch of the saw-tooth roof. When close to the structure, it is difficult even for experienced installers to be sure they are following the right line.

Installers Kingsley Hard Metals worked with ECE Architecture to develop a small test area of the shingles and an efficient procedure of marking, to ensure the unusual, angled installation was exact and not too time consuming to execute.

Working with SIG Zinc & Copper had another benefit, in that their sister company SIG Design & Technology was able to provide Armourplan single ply membrane for the project’s gutters. The relationship between SIG companies meant that the roof and cladding (including the Kingspan Quadcore panels) together with the gutters, could all be covered by a single system warranty.

For the architects and the local community, delighting all who see it with a juxtaposition of industrial design and light reflecting materials changing colour over the duration of the day and reflecting the water that surrounds the site.

To find out more about the range of metal roofing and cladding materials from SIG Zinc & Copper visit www.sigzincandcopper.co.uk

PLACEMAKING

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LESLIE HOWSON

The fringes of Edinburgh have become ground zero for housebuilders

GARDEN

C I TY

LOCAL AUTHORITIES ARE UNDER CONSTANT PRESSURE TO BUILD EVER MORE NEW HOMES, OFTEN IN THE FORM OF LARGE HOUSING ESTATES DEVELOPED BY PRIVATE SECTOR VOLUME HOUSEBUILDERS. HOWEVER, THE RUSH TO DELIVER HOUSING NUMBERS TO MEET GOVERNMENT TARGETS, IS OFTEN AT THE EXPENSE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD BUILDING, IDENTITY, CHARACTER AND URBAN DESIGN QUALITY. LESLIE HOWSON ASSESSES SOME OF THE KEY ISSUES SURROUNDING THIS SECTOR OF THE HOUSING MARKET AND LOOKS AT THE MERITS OF THE FIRST PHASE OF THE EDINBURGH GARDEN DISTRICT.

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Left - Redheughs Village will set the template for future housing delivery Right - With much recent housing representing a numbers game are developers now building better?

The release of greenbelt land from areas around our cities to provide space for housing is often a controversial issue. There are concerns about the controls over where housing is built and about the issues of land supply and the power exerted by the private sector set against the planning system and government pressure on local authorities to build more houses.

Housing density versus land use is inevitably also an issue. Should housing simply be allowed to sprawl into the green belt of the Scottish landscape or should there be a greater degree of densification? Also, should urban expansion be such a developer and landowner led process, which is often a piecemeal approach to urban expansion, or should we expect more comprehensive urban planning from our city authorities?

For many, current planning controls in Scotland are inadequate. The Scottish planning system is still largely developer-led. In the speculative housing sector, private land ownership together with local political support gives the power to build. Housing allocations in Scotland are controlled under regional strategic and local development plans. Planning advice notes give supplementary guidance to direct developers towards good design. However, it is URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

land supply that is the major controlling factor and influence on the volume housing market.

Currently, volume house building in the UK is dominated by a handful of house building companies who bank land while seeking planning permission for large scale housing developments. Owing to government housing targets and pressures on local planning authorities, it has become increasingly difficult to refuse planning permission even where the proposal is contrary to the local development plan and whether or not it is sustainable, sustainability being often accepted simply on the basis that the site adds to the land supply for housing.

Apart from this, there is among many urban designers, planning authorities, environmentalists and affected communities, the view that many large-scale housing developments around continually expanding cities like Edinburgh are being churned out without proper regard to the quality of placemaking, the creation of sustainable communities, appropriate land use and the impact on the wider landscaped context.

The demand for housing and the response of the development sector continues apace but the results are often large swathes of new housing estates simply achieving

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numbers of houses as a saleable commodity but lacking distinctiveness, identity and character. In effect, as new settlements in all but name, they are often built without any attempt to create communities or neighbourhoods. Much of this volume housing is soulless, typically comprising rows of identical neo-traditional houses, as a consumable product, the developer marketing to supposed consumer aspirations for detached homes (the Englishman’s home is his castle syndrome). These housing estates largely serve the car reliant family demographic who seem happy to live cheek by jowl in their detached villas, within touching distance of their neighbour`s house.

Unlike the more community-minded Scandinavians and other Europeans, building mixed demographic housing estates is not the aim of the handful of major house builders in the UK. They aim to sell as many house units as possible.

The consumer can pick from a variety of house sizes but the style and design are almost always neo-traditional as it has been for the past 50 + years. Seemingly there is no appetite to depart from that model and no room for significant architectural innovation which might otherwise redirect attention to seek more carbon-conscious concepts and tighter less land gobbling developments.

Master planning and formulation of urban design frameworks can make for successful developments but need to be complemented by sound quality design criteria and careful land use and character zoning of the site at the outset. The approach to much master planning in current volume housing often results in simply a jigsaw of housing plots with no consideration of the character and with the worst master plans offering no more than a seductive illusion of urban design.

It is important to create places where people want to be and can flourish and this is nowhere more true than in the area of speculative volume housing. The importance of placemaking cannot be overstated. It gives identity and legibility to our cities and towns and where we live thus is key to successful residential developments and ultimately is important to our health and wellbeing. Thankfully, placemaking is now firmly embedded in the Scottish Planning system and is one of the two Principal Policies of Scottish Planning Policy and aims for the creation of sustainable, well-designed places and homes, which meet people’s needs.

Housing and place are seen to have an important effect on our lives, health and wellbeing. Creating high-quality

>

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Left - Edinburgh’s Garden District is the cornerstone of efforts to address the city’s housing crisis Right - Shared public green spaces ensure the name is more than just a marketing ploy

places is seen as helping to tackle inequalities, allowing communities to thrive. Places that are well designed, safe, easy to move around, offer employment and other opportunities and with good connections to wider amenities will help create vibrant sustainable neighbourhoods for people to live, work and play.

The notion of placemaking is not new and is certainly not new to urban designers for whom it is an inherent part of any urban planning process. Urban design principles on all large-scale housing developments are key to placemaking and creating sustainable new residential communities.

Building in character zones is also an important element in successful master planning to provide local neighbourhood identity and legibility over the site. Such zoning requires consideration of variable building heights and densities, scale and architectural character.

A major consideration in the master planning of largescale residential developments, is now, more than ever, resilience to the effects of climate change. Not only can climate resilience measures dictate the eventual spatial form of the master plan but they can set the course of urban transformation many years ahead, some master plans being built over a decade. It is thus important to evaluate URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

climate risks early in the master planning process, focusing on the physical impacts of projected climate change that are relevant to each particular site. Remediation measures to counter potential flooding of the site is perhaps the most obvious issue and the importance of which is still often underestimated.

To better control carbon dioxide emissions, reduce dependency on fossil fuels and reduce fuel poverty, there is potential for inclusion of district heating and network systems in the larger housing developments, something very much in focus now with the likelihood of cities like Edinburgh moving ahead with the ban on gas boilers in individual homes by 2025.

A significant outcome from life during the global pandemic, is the extent to which provision of open space has a critical role to play in maintaining mental as well as physical health, stressing that access to both private and shared amenity green spaces is desirable in large housing developments to strengthen the connection between homes and nature.

EMA Architecture + Design Limited`s Redheughs Village project, the first phase of the huge new Garden District development in the west of Edinburgh, is tackling key

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aspects associated with large scale housing developments and with specific regard to the housing needs of Edinburgh.

Inspired by its proximity to the city, the Garden District is being seen as an important cornerstone in delivering much needed new housing for Edinburgh and is likely to be one of the most significant housing development projects in Scotland. Seen as an unrivalled development opportunity, Edinburgh’s Garden District is majority-owned or controlled

by Murray Estates and will provide the much-needed future housing supply for Edinburgh.

The managing director of EMA describes this as an enormously complex site, sitting between a designed landscape, the city bypass and the A8. Meeting Edinburgh’s housing needs is a huge challenge and EMA believes the Garden District has been carefully planned to be a sustainable way of providing a genuinely world-class extension to Scotland’s capital. To achieve a successful outcome, the design for the new neighbourhood will make connections to both Edinburgh Park and Edinburgh Gateway Station & Transport Interchange while addressing the environmental effects of the major roads defining its boundaries and aims to create a quality environment within the site suitable for a new community and with a specific

sense of place.

Extending to 675 acres (250 ha), the Garden District will provide up to 6,200 new family homes offering a mixture of housing types and tenures and of which 25% will be affordable housing. The new homes will be for families who wish to live close to employment and shops and with good accessibility and connectivity to the city. All parts of the scheme will embrace sustainability principles, providing access to infrastructure that will include a new primary school, a neighbourhood centre and health facilities. Convenience shopping will integrate with existing communities delivering inclusive growth and improved connectivity. Active travel will be encouraged through existing and improved public transport, pedestrian and cycling networks. The new homes will be complemented by a mixture of supporting uses and facilities including high quality shared public green spaces.

The Garden District Master Plan has been devised around the creation of six new connected districts each defined as a village, one of which, Redheughs Village, will form the first important phase of this new community and will deliver up to 1,350 new homes. The village will be ideally placed to provide a mixture of housing types, densities >

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and tenures to support the nearby business communities at Edinburgh Park which are within walking and cycling distance of the site. The site benefits from ready access to public transport links.

A broad mix of house types is proposed from flatted blocks to 5-bedroom houses with densities from 40 to 80 units per hectare. Building heights and forms will vary across the site, with the highest densities and tallest buildings to the western edge of the site adjacent to the bypass, around the school and neighbourhood centre and lower density housing towards the countryside edge. Such variation will thus be a welcome departure from the dominance of builders’ standard house types making up so much of the new housing developments we see on the outskirts of cities like Edinburgh.

Redheughs Village is thus only part of the Garden District that is allocated and consented at this time. If and when the remaining villages come forward, they are envisaged to be self-sufficient. Redheughs Village is to incorporate a local community hub with a primary school, neighbourhood shopping and a business unit as well as extensive public green space all within walking distance of

URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

the proposed pockets of housing.

EMA has stated its commitment to placemaking as a part of its design ethos, believing that the spaces between buildings create vibrant and successful places. To this end, a key aspect of the scheme will be how the site is landscaped.

The master plan incorporates extensive new parklands and woodlands much of it arranged along a central landscaped corridor connecting all six villages and a key feature of which will be a new canal way. Connectivity will also be further enhanced by a network of cycleways and pedestrian routes.

EMA’s master plan is landscape led with the primary driver for the development framework being the deculverting and re-routing of the Gogar Burn through the centre of the site. In opening it up and re-routing it closer to its original course, it puts the naturalised Gogar Burn corridor in the centre of the community. The burn becomes a connecting element between larger open spaces, it will be connected to the green & blue networks including sustainable urban drainage systems and rain gardens across the site. It lends meaning to the system of safe routes to the new primary school and local centre, it adds to the legibility of the street structure and underpins the sense of place of

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the new community at Redheughs.

Housing will be arranged in perimeter blocks around the burn corridor. A guiding principle is that the burn corridor should be defined and contained by active streets and community uses and that the majority of the transverse streets and lanes should have a view towards the burn corridor.

The Redheughs master plan takes cognisance of the need to be climate change resilient. Central to the EMA approach is the deculverting and re-routing of the Gogar Burn. This is to be a notable feature of the new neighbourhood and will run through a green corridor extending the full length of the site. Seemingly, it is to provide a focus for the site but importantly should eliminate some of the existing flooding issues across the site. Futureproofing to reduce flooding is certainly going to be essential to the success of these master-planned proposals.

The Garden District proposal has not been without controversy and some public opposition, mainly owing to its use of green belt land. However Scottish Ministers have been unequivocal in support of the proposals due to its much-needed contribution to housing land supply

and as a key contributor to solving Edinburgh’s housing shortfall. A planning application in principle was submitted in September 2015 for Redheughs Village as the first phase of the Garden District and was approved by the City of Edinburgh Council Planning Committee in 2016. The development finally secured Scottish Ministers’ Resolution to Grant permission in May 2020.

The success of any large-scale residential development depends on a master plan which can be prescriptive in respect of both urban design and architectural design, especially in those areas which will make it a distinctive place for the inhabitants. EMA have produced a unique and comprehensive master plan for Redheughs Village; a highquality design creating a landscape context for housing and addressing the issue of placemaking, as well as contributing to the housing needs of Edinburgh. However, the eventual success of Redheughs Village as a place that achieves more than simply housing people, will depend on the delivery of all the key aspects of that masterplan and on EMA being able to maintain influence over the design quality of the housing and other buildings, especially within the already defined character areas.

Building homes not units is the litmus test for sustainability that residential developers must strive for

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SpACE JOHN GLENDAY

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AHEAD OF THE LOOMING COP26 CLIMATE CONFERENCE THIS NOVEMBER A POP-UP ARCHITECTURE AND CARBON CENTRE PROMISES TO BUILD A BROAD CONSTRUCTION COALITION FOR CHANGE, BY DRAWING TOGETHER THE DEVELOPMENT, HERITAGE AND PUBLIC SECTORS IN COMMON PURPOSE. URBAN REALM CAUGHT UP WITH RAB BENNETTS, CHAIR OF THE WORKING GROUP BEHIND THE PLAN, TO FIND OUT MORE.

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SpACE

A pop-up architecture and carbon centre promises to bring the construction profession and the general public closer to the burning issue of the day, carbon reduction, with an exhibition at COP26 this November. Housed, appropriately enough, within the Old Fire House at Lauriston Place, now part of Edinburgh College of Art, the temporary venue will convey the sense of urgency that is necessary if we are to have any hope of reaching ambitious zero-carbon targets.

SpACE (Space for Architecture Carbon and the Environment) will bring up to 100 people including community groups, schools and the RIAS to serve as a forum for channelling public concern into action by documenting what a successful climate strategy looks like - as well as the practical steps needed to get there. It is a monumental task and it has fallen on the shoulders of Bennetts Associates director Rab Bennetts to undertake much of the early legwork in turning the idea into reality and he is under no illusions as to the scale of the task ahead: “We are at the end of 2021, we’re partway along the route to zero carbon by 2030, which is unbelievably fast, but at least we know much of the answer. It’s just a question of rolling it out.”

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Developed by 7N Architects the exhibition promises to be an exercise in simplicity, with the grand Edwardian hall of the former Fire House subdivided by a plywood wall, suitable for reuse, onto which recyclable sandwich boards can be pinned.

Outlining the daunting scale of the challenge that awaits us all Bennetts told Urban Realm: “The Edinburgh Climate Change Centre estimated that to get halfway, will cost £3.5bn for Edinburgh alone. Now, some of that is self-funding but a lot will have to come from the council and government, which is bloody difficult. That’s an enormous sum of money and of course, there’s a skills shortage in rolling it out. You have to get roofers and plasterers and people for insulation and redoing the electrical sockets who know what they’re doing. It’s a hell of a thing to tool up for and I don’t think you could get anywhere near starting in earnest for two, maybe three years. So, you’ve got five years left to roll out a lot. And, you know, in truth, it’ll be amazing if they got there by 2030, but it’s worth having a go.”

Achieving a fraction of these goals in normal times would be a tall order but is it realistic to achieve them in the middle of a global pandemic? “I think Covid shows much change can happen if we’re compelled to do it,” remarks Bennetts: “I think

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Left - A broad coalition of built environment professionals and government will seek to wean construction off carbon Right - The Old Fire House on Laurieston Place has been chosen as the operations hub

the problem here is, of course, there’s no law telling everybody, you can’t meet, or you must wear masks. That’s a completely different order from saying ‘you really must insulate your flat’ or ‘you must change your lifestyle and not put that jacuzzi in the back garden’. Electric cars are coming and the government is legislating to get rid of petrol and diesel cars. That’s good.

Maybe if they legislate for house upgrades when they change hands, that might be a costly business, but you have to do something to kickstart this process.”

Arguably Scotland is a world leader in the production of hot air, with a multitude of announcements and policy documents saying all the right words but with little changing on the ground to make good on these aspirations. With Greta Thunberg reportedly saying Scotland is not a world leader on climate change what can Space do to turn the ship around and help the country achieve its stated goals? Bennetts says: “Part of this is to address the politicians and say we’ve done the work that shows what you have to do. You’ve set the policy, now we have to join the two up.

“People are talking a lot about what’s already been achieved because a lot of easy carbon reductions were done

by decarbonising the grid and getting off coal and for that individuals didn’t need to do very much. The next step is going to be far more difficult, getting the public behind wide-scale changes of all kinds down to the food they eat, that’s a bit beyond the scope of this exhibition but the fact is it’s going to be a hell of a job getting people to change to that degree. The case we’re making is if you can reduce the demand for energy by doing something to your building stock, even if it’s not 100% successful, you’ve got to start.”

As a shop window promoting change, the Edinburgh pop-up will be at the heart of efforts to persuade the public to submit to the expense, hardship and hassle of change. The carrots of persuasion, events and workshops must be used in conjunction with the potential stick of future legislation. “If COP26 is getting publicity on the news every daymthen people will be wanting to know more and we need to get the message out there,” says Bennetts.

The built environment forum will also (briefly) address the lack of a dedicated venue to discuss issues around architecture and urbanism, raising questions of what is happening down the road at The Lighthouse in Glasgow, which at this point remains >

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SpACE

Left - The Edwardian fire station is being refitted to fight its biggest emergency yet Right - A mammoth retrofit and upgrade programme for outdated properties will be necessary to meet carbon commitments

shuttered. Asked about the fate of the western architecture centre Bennetts said: “It was hugely ambitious because it was the end of the 90s and required big lottery funding but it was in a very unpromising location up a little side street and split up into loads of floors. Its ownership has gone over to Glasgow City Council and I think they’re trying to manage a decline, but I don’t know if that means they are going to close it completely or keep some of it open but the message is to be careful of over-ambition.”

A council spokesperson confirmed to Urban Realm that the authority was ‘currently considering a variety of options for the long-term future of The Lighthouse’ but the difficulties convey a salutary tale of what can happen if there is no sustainable footing. Acknowledging this Bennetts continued: “We don’t have large sums of lottery money available for this. Altogether it costs around a hundred thousand pounds and that is only beacuase some people work for free.” Nonetheless, if significant revenue streams can be found, be that from the lottery, public bodies or industry, Bennetts is open to the prospect of establishing a permanent presence to fill the void left as The Lighthouse retreats.

Working hand in glove with the RIAS, which harbours plans to run a series of parallel events, there are currently no URBAN REALM AUTUMN 2021 URBANREALM.COM

plans to maintain SpACE beyond November but Bennetts is hopeful that the exhibition can travel to other cities to help build consensus and take some of the heat out of more prosaic planning battles. He said: “Planning in Edinburgh is always looked at as a bit of a battleground between heritage, planners and developers. There should be a greater consensus about the city’s future. But instead, you get a lot of negativity. So you find community groups ganging up on planning applications when in fact there might be a mutual agenda on architectural carbon. There’s nowhere central to display a really good scheme so, if there was a go-to venue where the planning applications could be displayed for consultation purposes, it would be this. It’s independent and doesn’t come across as a council mouthpiece.”

Citing collaboration as crucial if SpACE is to have any hope of meeting its goals Bennetts wishes to foster a panprofessional push from design to construction if there is to be any hope of bending the ear of the UK government. “If you do something that’s very partial to one sector, whether you’re a developer, the British Property Federation or an architect, it won’t have the same credibility with people. If you’re talking with one voice, it matters much more.

“When Denise and I were at college we were always

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© ILLUSTRATION BY CONNOR DRAYCOTT

thinking architects were too inward-looking. We need to look outward and not just do things for architects. I’ve always wanted to get involved in the industry. I was with Arup for my first 10 years and developed strong relationships with contractors. We didn’t see them as the enemy, as some architects do. For example, there’s a committee lobbying the government about the dreadful procurement system. Well, do it jointly with others, because everybody feels the same why not approach the problem together, contractors included.”

“There are normally three leaders that’s the client, the architect, and the contractor. If you deviate from that basic model, it gets quite difficult. So the leadership skills in an architect, which are not taught, by the way, they should be, but

they’re not very well taught. Because that’s what architects should be doing, leading the way. You can’t just come up with some egocentric idea and expect everybody to fall behind it. I think leadership and business skills are probably the two skills most lacking . That’s probably another feature.”

With some 28 heads of state likely to attend the gathering this November there is an unprecedented networking opportunity to meet those with their hands on the levers of power but if the project is to receive buy-in from those who matter most and not be another cop-out it will require sustained, coordinated action, no small feat in an industry where corralling everyone around any point of view is akin to shepherding cats. Watch this space.

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SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARDS

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Sponsored by:

THE SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARDS ARE BACK WITH A FRESH BATCH OF WINNERS THAT EACH ENCAPSULATE THE VERY BEST OF 2021. RELIVE THE MOMENT WITH URBAN REALM AS WE COMMEMORATE EVERY CATEGORY HEAVYWEIGHT IN ONE CELEBRATORY FEATURE THAT ENCAPSULATES ANOTHER LANDMARK YEAR. JOIN US AS WE LOOK FORWARD BY LOOKING BACK AT THE YEAR’S BEST BUILDINGS. The Scottish Design Awards have capped a tumultuous year with a celebration of all that is inspirational, novel and outstanding across the fields of architecture and design during a virtual awards presentation held last night.

The double-barrelled presentation surfaced an impressive mix of projects, teams and creativity in the only awards programme to dismantle divisions between the creative sectors, showcasing designs which add value to our lives from the buildings we inhabit, to digital services, craft and our rapidly evolving workplaces.

The architecture domain delivered a succession of winners with Konishi Gaffney and Entuitive leading the field courtesy of Lockerbie Sawmill, which earned the architecture Grand Prix. Juror Stephen Lewis, managing director of HFD Property Group, said: “As a business, they’re putting their stamp on the building. Simple, elegant, sustainable and a showcase for its owner.”

The prestigious architecture practice of the year title meanwhile was bestowed upon Moxon Architects, a practice that has emerged on top of a difficult year with the completion of a stunning new headquarters at Quarry Studios, Aberdeenshire. “The remarkable thing is they found a site and built their HQ themselves”, said jury chair, Professor Alan Dunlop.

Dunlop’s chairman’s award for architecture meanwhile went to Lower Tullochgrue, a bespoke extension of a traditional home within Cairngorms National Park by Brown & Brown Architects that works with its mountainous topography.

Last but not least Mairi Laverty was named young architect of the year with the judging panel stating: “Mairi shows talent and has a lot under her belt.”

The full roster of winners is available to view now over at the Scottish Design Awards webiste: https://2021. scottishdesignawards.com/ © GILLIAN HAYES

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Architecture Grand Prix Winner: Lockerbie Sawmill (previous page, 03, 04, 05) Our judges said: “As a business they’re putting their stamp on the building. Simple, elegant, sustainable and a showcase for its owner”

Chairman’s Award Winner: Lower Tullochgrue (01, 02) A dilapidated steading has been replaced by a contemporary extension, with a timber and glass upper volume above a stone plinth, with the existing topography of the site maintained at all times.

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Architectural Practice of the Year Winner: Moxon Architects (06)

Chair Prof Alan Dunlop said: “The remarkable thing is they found a site and built their Headquarters themselves”

Young Architect of the Year Winner: Mairi Laverty (07) “I’m delighted and humbled to be selected for this award.

It’s an honour to receive this amongst the high design talent that was demonstrated across each category, and being shortlisted alongside Jamie Anderson and seeing the fantastic work that he has produced. I would like to thank all those who I have collaborated with over the past few years who have played a big part in helping to shape my career so far.”

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Lighting Winner: Aberdeen Art Gallery (11) The design delivers the impression of bright, naturally lit spaces consistently throughout the year, smoothing out the effects of natural variation in daylight hours, and has given the Gallery a positive new after-dark identity Winner: The Falkirk Wheel Experience (10) The lighting design celebrates the forms of this structure and enhances its presence within the landscape.

Interior Winner: Mesart GWR - Hair Salon (13) ...our strategy toward materials choice was to accept and use any part of our building envelope that we could.

Winner: Leamington Terrace (09) our strategy toward materials choice was to accept and use any part of our building envelope that we could.

Regeneration

Winner: Woodside Multi Storey Flats (08) The Regeneration of Glasgow’s Woodside Multi-Storey Flats Tackle fuel poverty whilst exemplifying a shift to retrofitting high rise housing.

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Winner: 166 Gorbals Street (12) ... a café/restaurant will allow it to become an important social hub and historical anchor to the developing cultural quarter centred on a refurbished Citizens Theatre.

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Single Home Winner: Lower Tullochgrue (18) Winner: House in Bearsden (14) The project was conceptually conceived as a brick house that masters a subservient open-plan pavilion to its long narrow site between two existing residential properties.

Multi Home Winner: Spencer Courtyard (15) The scale and form is directly influenced by the context with the strong rooflines a response the local vernacular.

Winner: Gannochy Lifetime Neighbourhood (17) The new housing development provides flexible two bedroom homes which can accommodate a range of tenants such as young ‘starter’ families, single people, downsizers, and people with physical and perceptual impairments 16

Affordable Winner: Gannochy Lifetime Neighbourhood (17) Winner: Fraser Avenue (16) The project has transformed the neighbourhood into a place designed to give everyone their own personal space, their own front doors and a re-discovered a sense of community spirit.

Health Winner: Elgin & Appin Ward (19) The unique facility – now known as the Elgin & Appin Wards - seeks to foster social inclusion by delivering rehabilitation, discharge and recovery services which promote independence and self-reliance

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Education Winner: Forth Valley College (20) The progressive approach to learning and teaching in the campus is enhanced by cutting edge classrooms, flexible spaces across the campus and highly advanced technology throughout.

Winner: Barony Campus (24) The school buildings have been conceived and organised as four connected structures, which define the main user groups—primary and early education, dining and assembly, secondary, and sport—linked by an internal elevated route that cuts through the atria and connects each of the blocks.

Commercial Winner: Quarry Studios (25) Anchored around two concrete monoliths, the principal studio and café buildings represent the private and public aspects of practice: encouraging collaboration and concentration.

Winner: Lockerbie Sawmill (23)

Public Building

Winner: Inverness Justice (21) Inverness Justice Centre is the first in a new generation of Scottish courts- bringing together, in one location, the various organisations that support the justice system.

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Winner: The Floating Church (22) The Floating Church, Genesis, is a new, wide-beam canal boat crowned with an innovative pop-up roof designed by London-based architects Denizen Works

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Future Winner: Linton Hotel (30) The hay meadow roofs echo surrounding field patterns, with traditional stone walling connecting the roof elements down into the designed landscape,

Re-use Winner: Glenkinchie Distillery (29) While contemporary in nature, we wanted to be sensitive in material choice, detailing and scale.

Winner: Walter Bower House (26) Combining the old with the new, the building encompasses six of the site’s original buildings, which have been converted into approximately 7,000m2 of open plan office space, library storage and a café also open to the public.

Low Cost Winner: Taigh Bainne (27) By constructing new frames within, walls were adapted to form a small bothy to be used as a retreat and place of contemplation.

Public Realm Winner: Hams Footway (28) Referencing the visual language of other footbridges in the region, the design features an arch main span and a 42m-long bowstring truss, supported on leaning concrete piers.

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DIRECTORY LISTING ARCHITECTS & BUILDING CONSULTANTS AHR Tel: 0141 225 0555 Email: glasgow@ahr.co.uk Web: www.ahr.co.uk Clockwise, Savoy Tower, 77 Renfrew Street Glasgow G2 3BZ Carson & Partners Tel: 0141 442 0036 Email: mail@carsonandpartners.com Web: www.carsonandpartners.com Second Floor, Argyll Chambers Buchanan Street, Glasgow G2 8BD jmarchitects Tel: 0141 333 3920 Email: gla@jmarchitects.net Web: www.jmarchitects.net Michael Laird Architects Tel: 01312266991 Fax: 1312262771 Email: marketing@michaellaird.co.uk Web: www.michaellaird.co.uk 5 Forres Street, Edinburgh EH3 6DE Stewart Associates Chartered Architects Tel: 01475 670033 Email: info@stewart-associates.com Web: www.stewart-associates.com The Studio, 9 Waterside Street Largs, Ayrshire KA30 9LN ARCHITECTURE & MASTER PLANNING Hypostyle Architects Tel: 0141 204 4441 Contact: Gerry Henaughen Email: glasgow@hypostyle.co.uk Web: www.hypostyle.co.uk BUILDING SOLUTIONS/ FACADES Porcelanosa Tel 0141 533 100 Email: braehead@porcelanosa.co.uk Web www.porcelanosa.com/uk 2 Rocep Drive, Braehead, Glasgow PA4 8YT Contact: Chris Kerr, General Manager CONSULTING STRUCTURAL & CIVIL ENGINEERS

Survey Design Consult Tel: 01563 762468 Mob: 07788247178 Email.craig@surveydesignconsult.co.uk Web: www.surveydesignconsult.co.uk Contact: Craig Mackenzie Will Rudd Davidson Tel: 0141 248 4866 Contact: Brian Walker Fax: (0)131 557 2942 Web: www.ruddconsult.com/ 43 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3HP COMMERCIAL FURNITURE Rakkaus Furniture Tel: 01563 501 887 Email: chris@rakkausfurniture.co.uk Web: www.rakkausfurniture.co.uk Trinity Business Spaces, 14-18 East Shaw St, Kilmarnock KA1 4AN CLADDING RHEINZINK Tel: 01276 686725 Fax: 01276 64480 Email: info@rheinzink.co.uk Web: www.rheinzink.co.uk Wyvern House, 55-61 High Street Frimley GU16 7HJ FIRE ENGINEERS Astute Fire Ltd Tel: 0131 4458607 Contact: Adam Bittern Email: adambittern@astutefire.com Web: www.astutefire.com FLOORING BONA Tel +44 (0)1908 525 150 Fax +44 (0)1908 311 677 Email: info.uk@bona.com Web: www.bona.com 6 Thornton Chase, Linford Wood, Milton Keynes MK14 6FD LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS LDA Tel: +44 (0) 141 222 9780 Email: kirstin.taylor@lda-design.co.uk Web: www.lda-design.co.uk Sovereign House, 158 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 4RL

David Narro Associates Tel: 0131 229 5553 and 0141 552 6080 Contact: Amanda Douglas (Practice Manager) Email: mail@davidnarro.co.uk Web: davidnarro.co.uk

LUC 37 Otago Street, Glasgow G12 8JJ Tel: 0141 334 9595 Email: glasgow@landuse.co.uk 3rd Floor, Atholl Exchange 6 Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EG Tel: 0131 202 1616 Email: edinburgh@landuse.co.uk Web: landuse.co.uk rankinfraser Contact: Chris Rankin Tel: 0131 226 7071 Email: mail@rankinfraser.com Web: www.rankinfraser.com LIFTS Stannah Tel: 0141 882 9946 Fax: 0141 882 7503 Email: contact@stannah.co.uk Web: www.stannahlifts.co.uk 45 Carlyle Avenue, Hillington Industrial Estate, Glasgow G52 4XX LIGHTING DESIGNERS Eco Lighting Systems Tel 07780118029 Email: simon@ecolightsystems.co.uk Web: .www.ecolightsystems.co.uk 3 Kirkdene Place, Newton Mearns Glasgow G77 5SB Contact: Simon Taylor NATURAL SLATE Cupa Pizarras Tel: 0131 225 3111 Email: uk@cupapizarras.com Web: www.cupapizarras.com 45 Moray Place Edinburgh EH3 6bQ PHOTOGRAPHY Niall Hastie Photography Email: niall@niallhastiephotography.com Web: www.niallhastiephotography.com 567A Great Western Road Aberdeen AB10 6PA SIGNAGE CONSULTANTS Sign Supplier Tel: 0800 133 7555 Email: info@signsupplier.co.uk Web: www.signsupplier.co.uk Unit 15 Dale Industrial Estate Radcliffe, Manchester, M26 1AD

STONE Denfind Stone Tel: 01382 370220 Fax: 01382 370722 Email: sales@denfindstone.co.uk Web: www.denfindstone.co.uk Pitairlie Quarry, Denfind Farm Monikie, Angus, DD5 3PZ Dunedin Stone Tel: 01875 613075 Fax: 01875 615236 Email: info@dunedinstone.co.uk Web: www.dunedinstone.co.uk 17a Macmerry Industrial Estate, Macmerry, East Lothian EH33 1RD Tradstocks Natural Stone Tel: 01786 850400 Fax: 01786 850404 Email: info@tradstocks.co.uk Web: www.tradstocks.co.uk Dunaverig, Thornhill, Stirling FK8 3QW TILING Porcelain Plus Tel: 01236 728436 Contact: Moira Pollock Email: moira@porcelainplus.co.uk Web: www.porcelainplus.co.uk TILE SUPPLIERS Ceramexcel Contract Ceramics Ltd Tel: 01698 262442 Mob: 07825 612219 Email: sales@ceramexcel.com 12 Dellburn Trading Park, Meadow Road, Motherwell Lanarkshire ML1 1QB TIMBER ENGINEERING Scotframe Tel: 01467 624 440 Email: inverurie@scotframe.co.uk Web: www.scotframe timberengineering.co.uk Inverurie Business Park Souterford Avenue, Inverurie AB51 OZJ Contact: Gillian Murray TOILETS/WASHROOM CUBICLES Interplan Panel Systems Tel: +44 (0)141 336 4040 Email: contact@interplansystems.co.uk Web: www.interplanpanelsystems.co.uk Unit 2/2 Brand Place, Glasgow G51 1DR

SPECIALIST SUPPLIER OF SUSTAINABLE TIMBER Russwood Tel: 01540 673648 Email: mail@russwood.co.uk Web: www.russwood.co.uk Station Sawmill, Newtonmore, PH20 1AR

A MAGAZINE ABOUT THE STREETS IS ON THE STREETS To advertise contact John Hughes on 0141 356 5333 or email jhughes@urbanrealm.com

PRODUCTS

TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT OR COMPANY IN THIS SECTION CONTACT JOHN HUGHES ON 0141 356 5333 CUPACLAD

NORDAN

CUPACLAD is a natural slate rainscreen cladding system designed to suit any project from traditional renovations to contemporary new builds, offering a wide choice of options. It has been developed by CUPA PIZARRAS, the world leader in natural slate, to meet the new architectural trends that demand a more sustainable approach.

With timber at the core, NorDan windows and doors offer solutions that combine leading energy performance with longevity, to minimise environmental impact throughout their lifespan. Low carbon values are a fundamental benefit of the NorDan range, with embodied carbon of aluminium-clad timber windows being class leading against other material types.

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3318 4455 Email: uk@cupapizarras.com Web: www.cupapizarras.com/uk/

Tel: 01506 433173 Email: info@nordan.co.uk Web: www.nordan.co.uk

LUCE IS A WINNER: INNOVATION RECOGNISED AT TTA AWARDS 2021

RAKKAUS FURNITURE

This one-of-a-kind translucent porcelain surface looks simply stunning when used over large areas, thanks to its maximus slab format, that removes the need for grout lines and creates a seamless impression.

An absolute novelty that inspires and encourages creativity, Luce shifts up a gear even further when enhanced with backlighting technology.

Established in 2017, Rakkaus furniture meaning love in Finnish is a family run supplier of commercial furniture and seating. With over 10 years of experience in the commercial interiors industry, our friendly staff offer a hands on consultative approach using 3D modelling and AR systems to bring a space to life.

Tel: 01730 237850 Web: www.rakceramics.com/uk/

Tel: 01563 501 887 Email: chris@rakkausfurniture.co.uk Web: www.rakkausfurniture.co.uk

RUSSWOOD

SIDEY

Russwood is a leading UK supplier of high-quality, sustainable timber flooring, cladding, decking, and interior cladding. We pride ourselves on our reputation for quality products and excellent technical expertise and our highly trained experts are happy to advise you on every step of your new build or renovation project.

Sidey have years of experience in catering for the needs of house builders, architects and specifiers.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, our products focus on enhancing the performance of a building project in a cost-effective manner, whilst meeting all the required regulations. Our product range includes windows, doors, fire doors, timberweld and glass extensions.

Tel: 01540 673 648 Email: mail@russwood.co.uk Web: www.russwood.co.uk

Tel: 01738 634803 Email: info@sidey.co.uk Web: sidey.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE IN URBAN REALM PLEASE CONTACT JOHN HUGHES ON 0141 356 5333 OR EMAIL JHUGHES@URBANREALM.COM

TRADITIONALLY INNOVATIVE Environmental Product Declarations

With third party accreditation, our range of Environmental Product Declarations are marketleading. Dedicated data teams across our European Competence Centres ensure NorDan windows & doors remain at the forefront of sustainability and low embodied carbon credentials.

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