July 4 2019

Plans to erect an introverted detached house to Passivhaus principles in Edinburgh’s Murrayfield district have been hatched by Cropka Architects for vacant land to the rear of 7 Western Terrace.

The scheme dovetails with alterations to the current semi-detached property to facilitate access and will repurpose land originally set aside for stables and mews accommodation in the 19th century which ultimately never materialized.

Now the plan is to create a low-profile home largely hidden from view behind high stone garden walls with the ground floor area partially buried to further mitigate its impact. Accommodation would be arranged around two private courtyards at ground floor level, overlooked by a ‘vaulted’ first-floor level, with all windows overlooking the property itself.

A key requirement of the brief was to provide readily adaptable accommodation and in this way, all principle accommodation has been located on the ground floor with two study areas on the first floor being readily convertible to provide space for a live-in carer if required.

Finished in rain screen with feature ‘living wall’ panels and ‘charred’ horizontal timbers the home seeks to be as inconspicuous as possible through the use of stainless-steel gabion baskets filled with a variety of local stones.

4 Comments

#1 Posted by HMR on 5 Jul 2019 at 12:17 PM

That hoose needs a shave......

#2 Posted by Donnie on 5 Jul 2019 at 12:18 PM

A great use of space by the looks of it.

#3 Posted by OCB on 8 Jul 2019 at 08:49 AM

The repetition in stone texture is really annoying.

#4 Posted by Walt Disney on 8 Jul 2019 at 12:21 PM

Backland development by another name. I can see the Market Street mafia fretting as I type.

"oohhhhh.....its backland development which is contrary to policy.... but its Passivhaus and its got gabions....what do I do? ooooohhh...think I'll put that in the 'too difficult' pile and my jobshare can deal with it".

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