West Pilton Crescent

Malcom Fraser Architects were given a brief to design a standalone exemplar development for future works, and to provide modern, energy efficient social housing in a range of unit sizes at Pennywell Road/West Pilton Crescent, one of ten separate sites within a masterplan for the wider area

The site and neighbourhood were challenging. The ground was contaminated and the site was overshadowed by an adjacent high rise point block to the south-east (Northview Tower). Two schools are located to the east and west and a main road runs along the west boundary of the site.

The design strategy sets the main frontage of the housing along Pennywell Road with small private gardens and public realm landscape. The remainder of the triangular site forms a large common garden area with adjacent ancillary buildings including bike and bin stores and a communal plant room.

One of our key objectives was to improve the public realm link between the primary and secondary schools and set the new housing in high quality private and public open space.

One of the key design considerations has sought to develop the principles the Smithson’s described as “good ordinariness”, referencing the traditional tenement typologies of the New Town of Edinburgh, with a simple language of large repetitive window openings to allow as much daylight into the units as possible. The homes use a limited palette of durable, repairable and recyclable materials. Garden walls, entrance lobbies and pathways use the same brick and this simplicity helps to create a cohesive architectural language across the site and in the design of the public realm.

Various measures have been used to futureproof the homes such as a combined heat & power system has been used with individual smart meters located in each property, U- Values in excess of current Building Regulation requirements, a ‘Breathable Wall’ construction used to improve air quality inside the homes by avoiding the use of PVC vapour barrier which keeps air borne moisture zipped up inside the homes.

There are also four wheel chair properties incorporated at ground floor and a cooperative approach has been established with the council to property management with tenants