August 13 2020

A difficult tapered gap-site has been taken on by Zone Architects to create a well-located family home on the edge of Edinburgh's New Town.

68 Broughton Road formerly hosted a social club but has latterly been in use as an incongruous car park behind a surviving boundary wall adjacent to the A-listed Claremont Crescent.

Subject to a succession of failed planning applications it is now proposed to create a mews-style home sitting in parallel with the road and built out to the boundaries to create a distinctive trapezoidal form.

Describing their tight squeeze approach Zone wrote: "We are proposing a building with familiar form and materials but which could not be described as pastiche. The way that the stone and windows, in particular, will be detailed will give the building a contemporary character.

"Building up to the boundaries and filling in awkward angles is a traditional form of development typical of the way the New Town developed and is contrary to a more modern approach of trying to fit square or rectangular shapes into an irregular plot."

Built from coarse random rubble sandstone with dressed surrounds the timber frame home may look historic but will embody the latest Passivhaus energy principles through photovoltaic panels, soakaways and solar gain from extensive south-facing glazing.

6 Comments

#1 Posted by Mary Hill on 13 Aug 2020 at 11:16 AM

Very nice

#2 Posted by Seerightthroughyou on 14 Aug 2020 at 17:06 PM

Looks a well rounded and well considered scheme. Form following function to great effect.

#3 Posted by Stylecouncil on 14 Aug 2020 at 17:13 PM

Looks like a fairly bog standard, twee mews with an angled gable wall/ awkward side pitch ...or am I missing something

#4 Posted by Inahuf on 15 Aug 2020 at 13:43 PM

#3 - a soul?
Sorry, couldn’t resist that empty goal.

#5 Posted by Cadmonkey on 18 Aug 2020 at 10:19 AM

If you like living next to a sub-station, don't mind being horrifically overlooked and enjoy the shade this project looks fine.
Its a really weird shaped garage too.

#6 Posted by BS watcher on 19 Aug 2020 at 07:10 AM

Looks a tad pastiche, contrary to the Architects statement, although the proportions and window arrangement aren’t particularly mews- like. Neither is the building depth or overall mass.
Mews houses also don't sit back off the street within front garden ground. Its just a house in a back garden.....

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