St Leonards: Salisbury Court
Salisbury Court is a new mixed-use development at the edge of Edinburgh’s historic old town, offering student accommodation, retail opportunities and public realm improvements at St Leonard’s Street.
- Year
- 2017
- Location
- St Leonard's Street, Edinburgh
- Category
- Education
- Client
- Unite Group PLC
- Value
- £0.8m
- Size
- 0.75 Ha
The Vision
Salisbury Court is a new mixed-use development at the edge of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town, offering student accommodation and retail opportunities, on the former Homebase site at St Leonard’s Street. The student’s rooms looking North, and related common spaces, have stunning views back towards Salisbury Crags. The proposal includes improvements to the public realm by defining the street frontage and secured courtyards, minimum parking facilities for the retail and appropriate accessible bays provision for the residents. The location of the historic Park Brewery and Coal Depot shunting yards adjacent to the site has informed the design of the central courtyard and in the way it embraces the site’s topography. The terraces step down as the ‘tracks’ fan out from the intensity of the access level (where reception, lobby and games room are located) down to the more passive lawns and lower levels of the courtyard.
Context and Identity
The public realm is an important aspect in determining the character and the success of the development. It is envisioned that the main courtyard will become a major new “place” in Edinburgh’s urban landscape, especially during the festival, providing an ideal new and vibrant ‘event’ space. The Development also has the potential to make a positive contribution to Edinburgh’s Southside by bringing a variety of a new mix of uses and activities to the area. Such an approach will help to support the city centre function and the wider economic development objectives, and to create new connections and spaces that establish new urban connections. This will encourage ease of movement and generate activity by increasing frontage and unlocking the potential of the site.
Design Principles/Creating a Vibrant Atmosphere
The external spaces are clearly defined to accommodate a variety of uses. The rear courtyard gardens are designed to provide areas for individual and small group study, whether the opportunity for larger groups to congregate is encouraged in the programmed spaces within the internal courtyard. The main courtyard is arranged in a series of terraces: the upper terrace (strongly associated with the formal arrangement of the building’s reception and relaxing communal areas), and a lower one embraced by the seating steps and directly in front of the meeting room and study/chill area. The generous internal common provision is matched externally with a hard-paved terrace. The intensity of the space, and the largely shaded aspect of the area, lead to a predominantly hard landscape solution with precast concrete seat wall elements. The extension of the tracks lines materialised by the jumbo steps geometry, then delineated in the paving by a change in bond, and further enhanced by the presence of the trees, links this space to the overall design. In both these areas, the clear intent of creating an inside/outside permeability is not only ensured by the generous glazing of the communal spaces, but further highlighted by the continuity between internal/external jumbo steps connection to the South end of the courtyard. The common paving material between side path and lower terrace around the feature pine tree connects the entrance terrace to the general circulation. This space is an opportunity for larger group study and social interaction, and the potential for formal gatherings and performances.
Technical Approach: Hierarchy and Circulation
The sun-path and shadow analysis of the space reinforces the rationale of the site hierarchy with larger spaces of lawn benefiting from the sunniest parts of the site to maximise the usage and interaction of residents. The same principle (features and topography) orders the internal circulation, while outside the secured area the site functions as a broad shared surface combining pedestrians, cars, and deliveries into one common space provision. The design intent for the public areas is that, by removing road signage to define separate zones (white and yellow lining and raised kerbs), the space becomes shared, where pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles are integrated. This best practice redefinition of vehicle dominance and hierarchy is reinforced by the 50mm chamfered kerb allowing a point of guidance and refuge to the visually impaired or those with buggies (for example) to navigate the shared surface. The principles of shared surface permeate from public into private spaces. The public parking provided for the retail unit is discrete and limited to 10 spaces. This allows for a turning head to be created for controlled vehicle flow via parking movements, passing places and thus reduced speeds. The main sets of steps along the key desire lines leading to the cycle stores are provided with a side bike runner to facilitate access. In the central courtyard, the side path that connects upper and lower courtyard is designed to be at a fully accessible grade to ensure access for all users.
Public Realm, Extended Streetscape and Views
The permeability of the site is one of the key aspect of the proposal, and views into the courtyard provide visual interest to the passer by. The proposed new building ties into the existing urban fabric both in terms of massing, scale and streetscape: the new uses at pavement level aim to activate the street frontage. The public space in front of the building resulted rejuvenated with seating, quality materials and tree planting. The existing running grade of St Leonard’s Street is greater than 1:20 in places: careful consideration has been given to the integration of adjacent site levels and access points to the proposed mixed-use development. The proposal is to manage and control these using street furniture in lieu of tapering steps with their potential for hazard trips (and associated clutter of hand rails, tactile paving and balustrades). Planters and built-in timber-clad seating have been designed to accommodate the level changes and mitigate any unacceptable heights. On grade access is provided to all thresholds, however this is often augmented by a stepped access arrangement where the street levels have risen relative to the floor plate. At the edge of the generous footpath, the Public/Private divide is clearly delineated by the series of planters, and a natural stone cubes channel where required, all reinforced by a line of new columnar street trees.
Robust and Enduring/Life Cycle Consideration
All the materials are robust and functional, and have been carefully chosen not only for their appearance but with long-term maintenance consideration. High-quality materials were specifically selected to define streetscape and central spaces. Key principle for the hard landscape materials is the clear definition routes, priorities, uses and functions, providing a clear edge and threshold to the buildings. This is translated into a quality, robust and rational palette, sympathetic to the building materials, which includes porous paving bays to assist the site wide SUDs strategy. Along the same lines, all the elements of street furniture have been chosen for their characteristics of: being robust, to minimise maintenance; uncluttered/rational; informal and formal to provide a variety of uses (for example occasional seating/gathering encouraged); pleasant and attractive as unique elements in detail design, encouraging use. In this way, private and intimate spaces are created and congregation of users is focused to the most appropriate areas. The project obtained the BREEAM Interim Certificate (Design Stage), achieving a score of 71.3% - Excellent.
Seasonal Variation
The use of the spaces will change in tune with the seasons. As Edinburgh’s climate and the specific sun path across the site have informed the design of the central courtyard, in the same way have guided the selection of planting. Species, sizes, and form have all be carefully combined to provide focus and diversity with seasons being illustrated through careful plant selection to create interest all year round and to highlight particular times of the year. Key principles for the soft landscape materials are: seasonal variation; native species and biodiversity; enhancement of views and routes; definition of use and function; creation of enclosed and secure spaces; definition of privacy/private gardens; provision of shelter, screening, structure to the space and clarity to the design; definition of boundaries and intimate spaces.
Open Dialogue
Since our early involvement in the design development, a detailed discussion with the Edinburgh City Council’s Planning Department has been ongoing throughout the process, both pre and post application, partnering with the Project Team (Design Team lead by AMA architects and the contractor McAleer & Rushe) and responding to the brief from the Client and Tenant (University of Edinburgh) for a multi-facetted and flexible space to be used to solve multiple problems with one clever design. Acknowledgement has been made of the guidance of Secure by Design where appropriate throughout the design process to ensure safety for occupants, visitors, and the public, providing a safe and pleasant environment for the wider benefit of the community through a welcoming and easily navigated public realm.
