VISUALISATION 62 BIG NOISE 68 PLACEMAKING

V I S U A L A R T

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 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

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 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

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.

SUSTAINABLE SPECIFICATIONS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Above - Sequel is made from recycled glass and porcelain Below - Spectre is The Tile Association’s Wall Tile of the Year

Sourcing unique tiles that elevate interiors, including The Tile Association’s Wall Tile of the Year in Spectre, Parkside is renowned for its design-focused collection and ability to source exclusive tiles from the world’s leading ceramic and porcelain tile manufacturers.

Strata Tiles is a technical tile specialist that works to provide solutions across a wide variety of commercial and public projects. With a philosophy to connect throughout the entire project journey - from providing expert advice on correct tile specification to inspecting shipment supplies onsite - Strata Tiles delivers excellence in technical service.

Committed to growth across the UK, Parkside and Strata Tiles have exclusively partnered with Chris McGlennon to be able to provide the Scottish architecture and design communities with an exceptional collection of tiles. The collaboration comes at a key time for the companies as they launch a shared sustainability vision that combines the innovation of tile manufacturers with environmental stewardship and significant developments in operations with the goal to become net carbon neutral businesses by September 2022.

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.

And it is not a single action, with the companies also committing to sourcing all new collections across porcelain, ceramic and composite tiles with at least 20% recycled content. These new tiles will join an already comprehensive 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

S O U N D I D E A

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 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.”

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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

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 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.

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

The fringes of Edinburgh have become ground zero for housebuilders

G A R D E N C I T Y

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.

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 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

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 >

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 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

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 >

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 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

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.