January 24 2024

A landmark A-listed building commanding a prominent corner of Edinburgh's St Andrew Square is to set fair for conversion to a four-star hotel.

Dalata Hotel Group has enlisted Hawkins/Brown to oversee a programme of adaptive reuse at 28 St Andrews Square to repurpose the property as the Clayton Hotel.

Supplanting a previous bid to provide dark grey modern office space the latest plans adopt a lighter approach, retaining a wealth of opulent period detail around the primary entrance. By contrast, accommodation to the rear comprises modern open-plan floorplates behind a retained facade.

This split personality permits a greater degree of intervention to the rear, namely a terracotta panel-clad extension framed by bronze windows and vent panels, connected to the main building by a retained stone-clad 1980s stairwell.

In a colour study, the architects wrote: "The retention of the existing stair enclosure to the rear lane creates the visual break that allows the new wing to be distinct from the proposed rooftop extension. This in turn allows the new wing to be a lighter tone than the consented scheme to reflect more light into the lane.

"The proposed north elevation uses the rhythm of the consented scheme as a starting point for its design. The fenestration pattern reflects that of the consented scheme whilst creating a scale that is more appropriate for a hotel. The central stair core is also maintained, to retain more of the building’s existing fabric and create a transition between the original building and the new extension."

A living wall, a defining feature of the previous consent, has been removed with greenery limited to planted terraces. Courtyard elevations have also been simplified with a new pared back approach. 

Visualisations reproduced courtesy of Float Digital.

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