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Aberdeen ‘urban village’ set for further growth

August 24 2017

Aberdeen ‘urban village’ set for further growth
Halliday Fraser Munro have conceived designs for 65 flats arranged across three separate blocks at Aberdeen’s Donside Urban Village as part of a second phase of housing delivery.

Built on behalf of Sanctuary Housing the affordable scheme will rise on the banks of the River Don on the site of a former paper mill to the north of the city centre.

This final phase of work aims to maximise river views while enclosing an urban square and acting as a focal point for surrounding streets.

Detailing their approach the architects noted: “All three blocks are of similar footprint and design with the building heights and material varying slightly between the blocks. 

“Three materials are proposed with the two main materials consisting of brick and dry dash render. Rock panel cladding has also been used in the upper sections of the blocks to reduce the visual scale of the development. The three blocks reduce in scale from 7 storeys to 4 from the urban square to the eastern edge of the development in keeping with the surrounding areas.”

A landscape strategy overseen by Ian White Associates will employ shared spaces with selected tree planting to help distinguish individual spaces.
car parking will be 'concentrated' to maximise amenity space
car parking will be 'concentrated' to maximise amenity space
The banks of the River Don have been cleared of pollutants ao allow a riverside footpath to be built
The banks of the River Don have been cleared of pollutants ao allow a riverside footpath to be built

8 Comments

Auntie Nairn
#1 Posted by Auntie Nairn on 24 Aug 2017 at 13:32 PM
..and everyone will be required to drive a yellow beetle - the Prisoner comes to Aberdeen. Grim.
Meh
#2 Posted by Meh on 24 Aug 2017 at 14:04 PM
Some interaction with the river is a welcome change. Perhaps it would be nice to see some steps down to the waters edge. The buildings themselves would benefit from balconies to encourage people to sit outside.

Yes, I know, it gets cold and wet in Aberdeen.
sometimes...

Mies van der Noooo!
#3 Posted by Mies van der Noooo! on 24 Aug 2017 at 16:36 PM
There we go - the scheme exponentially improved by two easy suggestions from #2, after probably 15 seconds of consideration. What a shame HFM couldn't apply the same level of thought to this mindless dross.
Aberdire Doomside
#4 Posted by Aberdire Doomside on 24 Aug 2017 at 20:44 PM
#3 That's the third such project this week from them. HFM deliberately spamming the News page?
Urban Realm should update their firewalls
dave the detailer
#5 Posted by dave the detailer on 24 Aug 2017 at 23:40 PM
All together now...we all live in a flat with a yellow bettle, flat with a yellow bettle, flat with a yellow bettle.
StyleCouncil
#6 Posted by StyleCouncil on 25 Aug 2017 at 10:39 AM
Can someone from HFM clarify how this proposal qualifies as an 'Urban Village'....
Is there a range of mixed uses, tenure, social facilites, public realm all arranged in an appropriately scaled and contextually responsive manner? It even appears from the images that there is little or no ground floor aspect to these blocks.
Ian White Associates have been employed to deliver a fairly standard car park....no evidence of the 'Landscape Strategy'.
Architects peddle such awful, value-less verbal diarrhoea to justify their existance. Lets face it, this is three bog standard, scarcely designed housing blocks and a crap car park next to a river....
A Local Pleb
#7 Posted by A Local Pleb on 25 Aug 2017 at 12:32 PM
Why is it HFM appear to have a disproportionate involvement in Aberdeen projects? Give the smaller guys a chance and the quality may improve, there are 28 other practices within 2 miles of the city according to the RIAS website!
andy pandy
#8 Posted by andy pandy on 25 Aug 2017 at 15:24 PM
I'd hate one of those top floor flats, they don't even come with a roof...

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