Donside Urban Village

Donside is a mixed use urban regeneration development, containing 307 homes, situated on a brownfield site, on the banks of the River Don in Aberdeen. The conceptual design of Donside Urban Village echoes the planning principles of the new rural Scottish villages and towns constructed after the Agricultural Revolution and employs a grid street pattern with a clear hierarchical layout of streets and spaces. Careful consideration was given to legibility, permeability and the creation of a sense of place.

The site runs west to east along the south bank of the Don. It slopes in two main terraces from south to north with the steep embankment between the terraces also running west to east, the existing tree belts in general follow this west to east orientation. These natural existing site features were used to incorporate the main access streets, which were designed for pedestrians, cars and services vehicles to run mainly west to east. These main roads are identified by wider distances between building and tree planting to enhance the existing belts on the site and moulded them into the pattern of the new village. The main streets are connected by narrower more intimate streets, lanes and spaces that run predominately north to south. These connections give the pedestrian priority and lead to semi-private courtyards. At the east end of the site is the riverbank quay, this area provides a key amenity public space which maximises the benefits of a riverside location for both the residents and the general public.

Run under the auspices Devanha Initiative, Donside Urban Village has been completed with a very innovative tendering and contract structure that was set up to incorporate the five major local housing associations in Aberdeen into a single entity in an effort to achieve economies of scale. The programme was for 1500 new houses over a 4-year period. A Framework Agreement was set up
which included consultants and contractors. Appointments to this framework were made following detailed quality submissions and a complex ‘open book’ tendering process. The contract used was NEC 3, which is based on the open book process and collaborative working.