Dall House, Edinburgh

A programme of alterations to sympathetically remodel this listed property has been completed by CiAO. Sub-division in the early 20th Century of a 5-storey townhouse formed the double upper apartment. It lies at the end of a sweeping Victorian crescent that creates a grand urban gesture towards the Dean Bridge and New Town.

This presented many opportunities to explore types of domestic activity and space: Cooking, dining, bathing, showering, sleeping, study and relaxation. CiAO worked with the inherent qualities of the apartment and enhanced the simplicity of light with the introduction of new architectural elements that function as sculptural forms experienced as one journeys around the home.

The corner nature of the home is bright and airy with light from 3 sides- constantly changing throughout the day. The flat wraps around a central cupola void that brings light into the common stair below via a false cupola. CiAO gained this otherwise redundant space for the apartment by designing a room with structural glass floor entered through sliding screen doors. This maintains the natural light into the stairwell and provides a stunning lantern room to the apartment. The floor was created using Lightweight and large spanning Cellbond honeycombed panels inserted within a steel platform 12m above the stairwell. Elsewhere opalescent polycarbonate is used to partition rooms (this doubles as a light box at night) and bespoke birch Shelving and storage boxes form a library wall adjacent to a sofa niche that folds out to form a bed.