Premier Construction Scotland

Redevelopment in West Pilton Crescent

West Pilton, Edinburgh
Written by Roma Publications

West Pilton, Edinburgh

Working in partnership with 21st Century Homes, Hart Builders is nearing the completion of a 65 week contract which will provide thirty four new homes at West Pilton Crescent in Edinburgh.

The project was procured through competitive tender and is the last of three projects, in which Hart has recently delivered just under 200 units of affordable housing for the Council.

The development at West Pilton Crescent consists of one large block of flats arranged over two, three and four storeys with three houses adjoining the main block. Attaining Secured by Design accreditation, the majority of the one, two and three bedroomed flats are accessed by three secure, internal stairs. The houses and ground floor amenity flats have their own private entrances.

Designed by award winning architects Malcolm Fraser and engineers Will Rudd Davidson the residents benefit from light and airy flats, which have large windows maximising solar gain. Many of the upper flats also benefit from metal walk-on balconies which create a pleasant external space for individual households.

Ground conditions dictated the use of a piled foundation solution, with timber kit construction above. The building envelope was then wrapped in a simple palate of red facing brick, Nordan timber windows, zinc sheet roofing and aluminium rainwater pipes.

West Pilton, Edinburgh

Externally the site has attractive landscaping which includes garden walls in brick to match the housing, a turfed communal garden which provides external drying space and a renovated play area for children. A large communal bicycle store, bin store and separate plant room are also provided adjacent to the flats.

This highly sustainable development is served by a communal combined heat and power plant, which serves all 34 homes and is highly insulated which ensures running costs for the residents will be kept to a minimum.

David Small – Managing Director of Hart Builders talked to Premier Construction about the project –

“The provision of high quality, sustainable affordable housing throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians is Hart Builders core business. We have an excellent track record in delivering new build homes and regenerating communities and we pride ourselves in ensuring our projects are delivered on time and on budget.

West Pilton, Edinburgh

“Working with the City of Edinburgh Council and several RSLs in the city allows us to be an integral part of meeting the demand for new housing in a variety of tenures throughout Edinburgh. More and more the projects we build provide a range of options for residents. In larger projects we quite often deliver homes for Social Rent, Mid Market Rent, Shared Equity and Market Sale. By adopting a tenure blind approach, where all properties share a common design and external appearance balanced communities with a real sense of identity are being successfully created.

West Pilton Crescent will be an important addition to the current provision of Council Housing in the city and we are delighted to be handing the project over shortly and look forward and seeing the residents move in and enjoy their new homes.”

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Roma Publications