October 24 2024

Dundee's Hilltown district has re-embraced its traditional tenemental character with the completion of 162 street-hugging homes.

The urban site, formerly home to the Butterburn and Bucklemaker Court high-rise blocks, has been returned to its low-rise character while maintaining high density in a historically significant corner of the city.

Delivered by Collective Architecture on behalf of Dundee City Council, Hillcrest Homes and The Fleming Trust the buff brick blocks hark back to an earlier era, restoring urban patterns lost since the 1970s.

Ross Aitchison, architect at Collective Architecture, said: "Rooting people in well-loved places, in the heart of existing neighbourhoods, supports communities to live locally and creates the conditions for wider economic regeneration of high streets like Strathmartine Road. Projects of this scale and complexity can often face challenges during their development but the transformational effect this project has had on the area, with many families now settled into their new homes, is clear for all to see."

Introducing a broad mix of family apartments, wheelchair-accessible homes and supported housing the development is served by a new pedestrian route tracing the line of Russell Street, destroyed during past comprehensive redevelopment.

A civic frontage to Strathmartine Road reflects the organic development of the area with a varied roof line, bookended by taller elements at key junctions. Quieter tree-lined crescents are positioned to the rear along Derby Street which open out to the broader neighbourhood.

3 Comments

#1 Posted by Mark on 25 Oct 2024 at 18:35 PM

Looks good, the high block steps up to make something of the corner opposite the Hilltown Clock - although it might have looked less fussy without the black Tegral slate panels. Glad that the council are making use of Robert Fleming's bequest, too often money gifted to cities by bankers and industrialists disappears into the council's general account.

#2 Posted by alibi on 26 Oct 2024 at 10:42 AM

This looks great. I disagree that the black panels produce a fussy appearance - they break up the massing and provide verticality. Two colours. Simple enough to my eye.

#3 Posted by Rankielass on 5 Nov 2024 at 09:48 AM

Nice!

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