Are electric vehicles the way forward for Edinburgh?

POSTED ON September 28, 2021 BY Cliff Hague & Terry Levinthal

Our Chairperson, Prof Cliff Hague, and Director, Terry Levinthal, ponder the future of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and the potential consequences to our streetscape of their mass adoption.

Our Chairperson, Prof Cliff Hague, and Director, Terry Levinthal, ponder the future of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and the potential consequences to our streetscape of their mass adoption.

Support the Cockburn

Donate
Join Us

Back to Listings

Dunard Centre in St Andrew Square

Posted on: September 23, 2021

Our statement of support for the revised plans for the proposed Dunard Centre in St Andrew Square

Our statement of support for the revised plans for the proposed Dunard Centre in St Andrew Square

Cockburn Response

The Cockburn Association has studied and discussed this revised application by David Chipperfield Architects).  As with the earlier proposals (2018), we welcome and support these ambitious plans to create Edinburgh’s first purpose-built concert hall in over a century.

This project has potential to make a positive contribution to the artistic life of the city and to act as a transformative catalyst for the economic, social and artistic revitalisation of the streets, lanes and businesses that surround it.

Within the constraints of the available site, the proposed concert hall continues to use the space in a an effective manner.  It provides the opportunity to link the new St James Quarter into not only to St Andrews Square but the wider city centre.

Our comments are predicated on the above support, and we hope that further refinements to the design will continue.

Site and Context

  • The opening of access through the site, including outside the operational hours of the concert hall is an important objective. We believe that it would be appropriate to put in place a legal mechanism to ensure the public permeability through the site is secured in the long term.
  • We remain of the view that it is essential for the floorscape around the new concert hall be integrated with the Registers and wider environment. This should respect the limited palette of paving materials in the New Town and be designed so that the pedestrian environment appears seamless to users who will approach the building from the various access points.  Linkages to St James Quarter should follow this approach if possible.
  • We continue to advocate that access to the several garden areas by the Registers of Scotland be undertaken at the same time (although we appreciate that there seems some reluctance on the RoS to do so). This could be through a discrete new opening in the existing wall (for the Physician’s Garden) and possibly through a new gate in the railings (for the small grassed area to the south).  In essence, there is an opportunity to create a new, interesting and intimate pedestrian quarter, which places the concert hall in the centre of it.
  • The single mature beech tree currently extant on the site is most likely a remnant of the former garden landscape of Dundas House and should be retained.

Building

  • We have been unable to access the site due to neighbouring construction work so have not been able to assess how well the original test panels have weathered (if they are still on site). Our understanding is that the same highly finished concrete panels are proposed.  Based on our discussions with the architects at the time of the first application, we accepted this material given the uniqueness of the proposals and the very high specification of finish proposed.  We would therefore suggest that a suitable condition against any planning consent be applied here to give the Planning Authority long-term control over this.
  • With the original proposals, the elliptical concert hall itself is shown to have a distinctive façade modelling different from the “edge” blocks. We welcomed this as it helped break down the mass of the building and created additional visual interest within what will be an intimate pedestrian environment.  However, as the scheme has contracted and simplified, this juxtaposition has been reduced also, especially at the north-east where the angle is very obtuse.  Greater distinction between the elliptical hall section and the northern “edge” block would be beneficial. As such, this appears unresolved, as does the treatment of window openings and the junction of eaves and ground floor levels.
  • Similarly, the views to the building from the western entrance to the St James Quarter are important. The blank façade with vertical striations from almost top to bottom and virtually not fenestration presents a hostile frontage from this perspective.  Further work is needed to address the massiveness here.

Wider Opportunities and issues

  • Unlike the original scheme, the physical connection with the Category A-listed Dundas House is direct and substantial. Whilst we acknowledge that this doesn’t affect the original 18th Georgian property, it is a more significant impact to the listed fabric.
  • We continue to believe that consideration should be given to the creation of a ‘processional route’ through the current RBS building with the long-term objective being the integration of Dundas House into the centre, providing all the necessary “front of house” facilities required by a modern concert hall.
  • In the wider context of performance venues in the city, we acknowledge that this proposal will not address the needs of the festival and events sectors. The Council have prepared in the past an assessment of need – this should be renewed.
  • The use of the hall once built may generate traffic impacts on neighbouring areas including the residential New Town to the north. Large volumes of private vehicles using these streets after the 6:30pm Zone 2 parking restrictions end could result in negative impacts.

SUMMARY

The Cockburn Association continues to support this proposal.  The creation of a new cultural building is welcome, and we acknowledge the skills of the design team in integrating the sizable building into a very constrained site. We recommend some further revisions and believe especially that the wider floorscape needs to be developed to include the Registers and connections into St James and St Andrews Square, and beyond.

Further Details Here

Back to Listings

Edinburgh and East Lothian Doors Open Days Weekend

Sat 25th and Sun 26th September 2021

The Cockburn Association has been organising this beloved annual free event in Edinburgh for over thirty years and for the last five in East Lothian. This year’s weekend will see over one hundred venues, businesses and organisations fling open the virtual OR actual doors to the public once again. Visit our specially created Doors Open Days page where you will …

Book Here

Back to Listings

Celebrating 60 Years of Miss Jean Brodie

Tuesday 5th October 2021 from 5-6pm on Zoom

Muriel Spark’s classic novel, ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ was published 60 years ago on 5 October 1961, and it would become iconic in the public imagination. Celebrate this milestone with a free talk from the National Library of Scotland. The novel’s title character, ‘Miss Brodie’, was inspired by Spark’s teacher, Christina Kay, at James Gillespie’s School. Norma Allan, …

Book Here

Back to Listings

The Fair Botanists: A Conversation with Sara Sheridan

Thursday 28 October 2021 from 5pm to 6pm on Zoom

Renowned Scottish author Sara Sheridan talks to National Library of Scotland Curator Dora Petherbridge about her latest novel, The Fair Botanists. Set in Edinburgh in 1822, Sara’s latest novel The Fair Botanists has been brilliantly received by both readers and critics. Using the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh’s and the National Library archives for research, she has created a story deeply embedded …

Book Here

Back to Listings

Stills: Centre for Photography

23 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1BP
Phone: 0131 622 6200
Email: info@stills.org

Virtual visits only this year


Visit Virtually

Back to Listings

Edinburgh and East Lothian Doors Open Days is supported by:

Arnold Clark Community FundHinshelwood Gibson TrustEuropean Heritage DaysScottish Civic TrustUrwin Studio Edinburgh Web Design

Event Sponsor

Liberton Kirk

28-30 Kirkgate, Edinburgh, EH16 6RY
Phone: 0131 664 8264
Email: jyoung@churchofscotland.org.uk

Liberton Kirk is situated in the south of Edinburgh overlooking the city and is home to a lively Church of Scotland congregation. The Kirk Centre and café play a large part in our connections with the local community. The kirk is a semi-Gothic building designed by James Gillespie Graham. It was erected in 1815 to replace an older building on …


Visit Virtually

Back to Listings

Edinburgh and East Lothian Doors Open Days is supported by:

Arnold Clark Community FundHinshelwood Gibson TrustEuropean Heritage DaysScottish Civic TrustUrwin Studio Edinburgh Web Design

Event Sponsor

How much is your public park worth?

POSTED ON September 17, 2021

What is an urban greenspace worth to contemporary Edinburgh? We pose a question for residents to ponder in the coming days.

What is an urban greenspace worth to contemporary Edinburgh? We pose a question for residents to ponder in the coming days.

Support the Cockburn

Donate
Join Us

Back to Listings

Stories of a Lifetime in 2000 Football Programmes

Tues 21 September 2021 from 2pm to 3pm on Zoom

Football programmes have stories to tell about times, places and people, as well as football. They rekindle memories of a match, an awe-inspiring visit to Hampden Park, or standing on the terraces at Tynecastle, Easter Road or some far away field. But programmes also signify broad patterns of social and technological change. Hosted by the National Library of Scotland this …

Book Here

Back to Listings

Adapt, Retrofit, Re-use – RIAS Conservation Autumn Seminar

Tues 26th October 2021, 1pm-4.35pm online

Chaired by Jocelyn Cunliffe FRIAS, this afternoon seminar will host a series of speakers with presentations covering HES heritage priorities, Glasgow’s re-located structures, an approach to existing building retrofit and the sustainable, low energy refurbishment of traditional and historic buildings supported by case studies, application of the building regulations when considering the conversion of a listed office building to flats …

Book Here

Back to Listings