April 7 2022

Residential property developer HUB has aired plans for the redevelopment of Beaverhall House, Canonmills, to provide new build apartments above ground-floor studios for the local creative community.

ShedKM, with MRG landscape architects, propose to demolish the current red-brick 1970s factory and replace it with a brick and profiled metal new build, with an articulated roofscape feature at the junction with Dunedin Street recalling its industrial past.

Incorporating ground floor public realm and community uses accommodation is arranged along a central spine from which projecting 'articulated fingers' are attached.

Outlining their design approach ShedKM wrote: "The new scheme is set back from the original building line, giving the pavements more breathing space. In addition, the building is recessed in parts along Beaverhall Road, bringing additional width to an already widened pavement.

"Rain gardens between the pavement and the road form part of the SUDS features but also bring some much-needed greenery to Beaverhall Road. The ‘special corner’ at the junction brings playfulness with a red metal sleeve, column and window frames."

Containing 205 apartments (25% of which are to be affordable) the project incorporates a fifth-floor setback to accommodate a large roof terrace and amenity deck with additional public spaces provided in the gaps between each 'finger', accessible via a pend from Beaverhall Road.  

2 Comments

#1 Posted by TheFakeArchitect on 7 Apr 2022 at 14:17 PM

I'm really not feeling this design. Two storey "set back roofs" just don't work for me. I'd prefer this element was removed even if the storey height remained. There's also a lot of single aspect units in there given the mostly central corridor layout. A good DAS though.

#2 Posted by town planner on 8 Apr 2022 at 13:12 PM

The "set back roofs" are due to the difficulty of getting anything approved over 6 stories tall in the capital city of our country (sadly). Meanwhile the steady erosion of the green belt continues in all directions in the middle of a climate and nature emergency.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-61011783

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