April 14 2023

The City of Edinburgh Council in collaboration with Passivhaus designer Architype has shared plans for a replacement Wester Hailes High School, part of a decade-long plan to regenerate the area.

The phase two project follows on from the delivery of a sports and community building, now under construction, with a new school that consolidates existing education provision in one energy-efficient four-storey 'super block'.

With space for 800 pupils and scope to extend further to 1,200 if required, the new school will stand as a 'symbol for sustainability', promoting green lifestyles and technologies with outdoor spaces teaching the importance of biodiversity and food production. Set back from the embankment of the Union Canal, a portion of which will be replaced by a retaining wall, the plans include a direct pedestrian link from the playground to the towpath.

In their design statement, the authority wrote: "A ‘superblock’ was determined to be the optimal solution to satisfy the requirements of the educational brief and site constraints. This option consolidates all of the educational facilities into one singular 4-storey massing and provides a strong visual connection with the Union Canal and frontage to Wester Hailes Road. The east-west axis and efficient form factor are also ideal for Passivhaus Standard principles."

Elevations are defined by horizontal projecting brise soleil hung from a cantilevered projecting steel frame that is thermally detached from the concrete superstructure. Key components of the building such as a top-floor library and a dedicated well-being hub will be picked out in copper effect rainscreen. 

2 Comments

#1 Posted by mack on 17 Apr 2023 at 09:03 AM

There is nothing super about this block. Anonymous, soulless, design by spreadsheet. You know its awful when it relies on lift overruns to provide elevation articulation.

Also, how did that flat roof get past CEC estates review, or have they decided to ignore that for their in-house designers?

#2 Posted by puzzled on 17 Apr 2023 at 13:18 PM

Good objectives in principle but the building looks dated already.

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