Edinburgh University selected 5 of Scotland’s leading practices to tender for the design of a new Climate Change Centre in the historic Old High School in Edinburgh’s Old Town. The £3.3m conversion of the 1750m2 listed building will provide upgraded lecture and conference facilities as well as teaching spaces for 210 students plus staff, and demonstrate the University’s commitment to sustainability.
Gareth Hoskins Architects proposed unified ground surfacing extending to the High School’s prestigious portico, drawing students and visitors to the centre’s entrance. Legible routes and connections to the centre and its surroundings were proposed including a “climate wall” of growing material defining a “climate garden” to reinforce connection to the natural environment. Within the building the “climate wall” became an electronic interactive information board and educational tool updated by the centre. The centre’s public activities, including student/exhibition hub and dramatically renovated lecture theatre, were orientated around the “wall” at ground level ensuring a dynamic vibrant atmosphere.
| Location: | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK |
|---|---|
| Client: | Edinburgh University |
| Value: | £3.3m |
| Status: | Competition Finalist 2009 |