Offices to emerge from deepest man-made hole in Europe
January 11 2013
Supplanting a prior residential scheme on behalf of Scotia Homes the new plans entail development of a narrow strip of land along the curve of the quarry edge to form 100,000sq/ft of office accommodation.
Designed by Michael Gilmour Associates the scheme will involve excavation of 7m of spoil to form two levels of underground parking above which will be stacked office accommodation and a rooftop restaurant, all positioned to maximise views out across the flooded quarry.
Clad in light grey aluminium curtain walling with render and glazing the design has been developed in response to the constraints of its site, following the quarry edge in a sinuous curve.
Commenting on their design Michael Gilmour Architects stated: “… we believe this will reintegrate Rubislaw Quarry, an icon of Aberdeen's unique industrial granite heritage, with the cities current status as the oil capital of Europe by providing iconic world class accommodation for the next generation of oil extraction companies in the heart of Aberdeen city.”
The building will attain a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating.
Rubislaw Quarry is over 400ft deep
The new build is dwarfed by the subterranean depths of the pool it fronts
The Rubislaw area is popular with oil firms
The water level in the quarry has been steadily rising, posing a flooding concern for neighbours
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6 Comments
#1 Posted by Stimmie on 12 Jan 2013 at 17:02 PM
Wow, what a dull building! Fits well with 21st century Aberdeen though, cant expect much more!
#2 Posted by Andy on 14 Jan 2013 at 13:22 PM
Yep, pretty dull...and who knew Rubithlaw Quarry had a lisp?
#3 Posted by Ian on 8 Mar 2013 at 09:28 AM
Yep typical of Aberdeen council whats wrong with going for the heritage centre instead of more offices .. OH I know.. its all abouit money !
#4 Posted by JamesT on 1 May 2013 at 10:16 AM
Not built of granite then! Hardly in fitting with its surroundings.
"The new build is dwarfed by the subterranean depths of the pool it fronts" - except you can't see it so it doesn't matter if it's 20 feet or 400 feet deep - unless there's an earthquake!
@Andy - good one!
"The new build is dwarfed by the subterranean depths of the pool it fronts" - except you can't see it so it doesn't matter if it's 20 feet or 400 feet deep - unless there's an earthquake!
@Andy - good one!
#5 Posted by Wendy on 10 Jul 2014 at 14:00 PM
An already over populated office complex, yeah lets add more people and cars and ruin any chances of a heritage centre
#6 Posted by Wendy on 10 Jul 2014 at 14:02 PM
I also heard that when the quarry was sold the new owners were not made aware of the plans for the offices on the "lisp" of the quarry. Underhand, bang goes the heritage centre plans.
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