51 acres grade a listed buildings: old craig new craig...

Craighouse Campus - September 2011 1

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Craighouse Campus Edinburgh

51 acres

Grade A Listed Buildings:

Old Craig

New CraigQueens CraigEast CraigSouth CraigBevan VillaGatehouse

Learning Resource Centre

Car parking

Local Nature Reserve



Craighouse Campus What are the issues?

Why consider change?The presentation boards, exploring the history of the site, outline how Craighouse evolved from a residential settlement through to a ground-breaking cluster of private hospital buildings, centred on architect Sydney Mitchell’s spectacular tour de force, New Craig.

Following decades of continued institutional use, the National Health Service took the decision to sell the site in 1992, viewing the accommodation as no longer suitable or appropriate to modern day health provision.

In response to the NHS relocation strategy, the City of Edinburgh Council allocated the site for future residential development (South West Edinburgh Local Plan, adopted 1992). This was deemed to be the most appropriate alternative use, able to provide sufficient continued income to ensure the future preservation and maintenance of the landscape and buildings.

Although the transition to residential use was approved and anticipated, Napier University subsequently acquired the site from the NHS.

Today, Napier University too have taken the view that the site is no longer appropriate for continued institutional use. The Grade A listed buildings have not readily adapted to current teaching standards or to modern institutional use. The campus has proved increasingly expensive to maintain, with constant use by over 1000 students and staff taking a heavy toll on the historic building fabric and landscape.

The status quo is not an option

The buildings will soon be empty and deterioration of building fabric advances rapidly. It is essential that active use is continued without a period of neglect

The buildings alone are estimated by White Young Green to cost £730 000 per annum to maintain

Buildings at risk

Neglected and untended landscape will make safe publicaccess into the grounds impossible

Craighouse Campus - September 2011 �


Craighouse Campus Past solutions for a sustainable future:

Preceding development proposals.The history of Craighouse is one of continued evolution, of buildings and of landscape.

The diagram below summarises ‘Lost and Unbuilt Buildings’. At the time of the great Victorian hospital development, various alternative building layout and configurations were considered. Subsequent hospital expansion was planned towards the south east corner of the site.

Two separate recent proposals for extensive development have been approved by the Council

In May 2002, the Napier University Scottish Centre for Creative Industries was granted planning consent (illustrated right). Similar in concept to the business school built at the adjacent Craiglockhart Campus (illustrated left), this major development inserted a large scale, multi storey building immediately adjacent the southern flank of New Craig, alongside extensive reconfiguration of mature trees and landscape. Napier’s ultimate adoption of an alternative estates strategy saw the expansion of the Sighthill Campus in preference to Craighouse, prior to conclusion of legal agreements and consequent construction of the development on site.

In 1992, with hospital use no longer viable, the City of Edinburgh Council Development Brief (extract top right), illustrated areas within the grounds allocated for residential development (annotated A, B and C). Extensive areas of building were approved over much of the south eastern landscape (marked B), at the highest, most visible plot (marked C), and within an area of existing woodland to the north (marked A)



Craighouse Campus

Today, we believe residential is the use that delivers most benefits and ensures a sustainable long term future for the buildings and grounds.

Craighouse Limited acquired the site in early 2011 through an open tendering process, although Napier University still retain a financial interest in the site. Since then a number of alternative uses have been considered, including hotel and care home providers, but no institutional use was able to make a viable economic case. Had either been viable, hotel or care home use would have involved substantial privatisation of the grounds to the severe detriment of continued public access.

We believe residential use will deliver the most benefits: - provide a secure long term future for listed buildings - improve the landscape context - retain and enhance continued public access - impose fewer people onto both the site and surroundings - be an appropriate fit with the surrounding residential context - compliments maintenance of woodland and landscape

Although the housing market is currently depressed, the regeneration of Craighouse is a long-term project. The University intend to decant in phases, which allows a gradual transition, which in turn allows us to achieve, over time, the highest quality residential development within this unique and inspiring setting, attractive to new and existing, neighbouring residents.

We believe residential use remains the most suitable and appropriate future for the buildings and grounds.



Craighouse Campus

John MacAslan proposed a low rise redevelopment of the sloping south east corner, in line with the previous development brief

We have engaged for the last 6 months with internationally renowned designers to explore myriad new options and opportunities

Eric Parry proposed a series of blocks rising up the south east hillside, culminating in towers breaking through the skyline

The Sydney Mitchell hospital buildings were a striking contemporary addition to the Edinburgh skyline when they appeared at the turn of the Century. Their monumental scale and massing changed forever the hillside seen from both near and far.We approached some of the country’s leading architects (the Sydney Mitchell’s of today) who we commissioned to appraise, reinterpret and imagine. Our brief was entirely open. What would be appropriate, stimulating, contextual. How to build, today, the Grade A listed buildings of tomorrow.

Michael Squire proposed

vertical towers echoing the

monumental scale of New Craig



Craighouse Campus. Our current thinking - Landscape led.

The current proposed development strategyis best explained by the draftCraighouse Landscape Concept Plan.

Conceived by Kim Wilkie, world renownedlandscape architect, the proposed layoutaddresses areas where we believe thelandscape succeeds, where it could besignificantly enhanced, and where itcurrently fails.

We propose a strategy of contextual development led by world renowned landscape architect Kim Wilkie together with 3 leading architectural practices

Simpson & Brown Architects, Edinburgh Ben Pentreath, Working Group Architects, LondonOberlanders Architects, Edinburgh

A woodland management plan to restore the woodland habitat.

Securing the long term future of the woodland and landscape amenity for all

New tree lined avenues, on entrance addressing New Craig

Simpler road layout with significantly less tarmac, more landscape

Creating a modern landscape of design and vision appropriate and equal to the vision and grandeur of the Grade A Listed buildings

Removal of the Learning Resource Centre

Detailed building design will be presented for comment, when developed further, at the next public consultation event in October or November this year



Craighouse Campus. Our current thinking.

- estimated running costs of the buildings today is £730 000 per annum

- estimated running cost of site (after development and extensive repair to the buildings) is £435 000 per annum

- estimated maximum service charge is £2000 per annum per dwelling

- estimated required development circa 200 dwellings (300 000sq.ft) including existng Listed Buildings

Craighouse will need sufficient residents to ensure that it can be financially self-sustaining for the foreseeable future

Density of Development & Number of Dwellings Proposed

The need for Enabling DevelopmentCraighouse Partnership have undertaken preliminary research into the historical running costs of the campus, informed by data from Napier University.

Napier University have provided us with various historic budgets for the site, including one showing historic costs of c. £150k per annum. However we understand that this budget does not include some items which were paid for from more central University budgets (e.g. lifetime boiler replacements, insurance, work by in-house teams) and also does not necessarily reflect the full life-cycle costs of the site moving forward (e.g. future replacement of M&E).

White Young Green compiled a 25 year Life Cycle Cost Study for Napier University which estimated the future capital costs of the buildings at £18.3m over the next 25 years (or £730,000 p.a.) excluding inflation

We calculate that by redeveloping the site and repairing the listed buildings as an early part of the development, the long-term running costs of the site (including improved landscape and amenity) can be reduced to c. £435,000 p.a. (which includes a sinking fund for longer term future repairs)

Residential service charges in Edinburgh range from £1.00-£1.50/net square foot (eg. Quartermile is £1.50/net square foot). Given the high quality of residential we wish to achieve, we believe we can charge at the higher end of this range, which implies that we require c. 300,000 net square feet of residential (or c. 200 dwellings) on the site (including the existing buildings) to ensure a sustainable income and future for the landscape and listed buildings.

Development Density300,000 net square feet across the site gives a density of c. 6,000 net square feet / acre which is low when compared to other schemes across Edinburgh.




Reconfiguration of the existing boiler house coal stores. Single storey to the street, stepping down to follow to contours of the site. Highly discrete with no visual impact when viewed from the North.

Removal of the existing redundant boiler house and adjacent ‘hair pin’ service road. Fully integrated new landscaped courtyard serving the North Western corner of New Craig, framed by a proposed 3 or 4 storey corner pavilion, subservient to the scale and massing of New Craig.

This is where we propose to locate the required new dwellings.We propose enabling development only on existing brownfield sites or on areas previously allocated for development

Anticipated three 3-storey houses on existing car park, arranged around a green central courtyard.

Low lying (primarily 2 storey) traditional steading type housing arranged around a central landscaped courtyard garden with car parking on existing car park area and area previously allocated for 4 storey development in the 1992 Development Brief.

The LRC will be removed.Traditional terrace of 3 storey houses with rear mews, accessed via Craiglea Place, with formal frontage framing the landscape proposals, all on a reduced footprint to that previously approved for development up to 4 storeys.

Pavilion, 3 or 4 storey apartments, embedded in the landscape, addressing a new avenue of trees from the existing gatehouse in the area previously approved for major development.

Quartermile City hospital Suffolk Park Meadowspot



Main Entrance


New Craig, above, although monumental in scale, was planned as a series of domestically scaled rooms and apartments. Existing vertical circulation (stairs and lifts, indicated below) inform the natural subdivision into comfortably sized, manageable apartments.

The existing Listed Buildings can be returned to domestic use. They were designed originally as institutional residential accommodation.

Conversion of the existing Listed buildings

Designed originally as institutional residential homes the existing listed buildings lend themselves readily to conversion into a wide and varied range of residential apartments. The majority of rooms within buildings are domestic in scale and detail, with fireplaces, cornices and character often surviving previous conversion. Existing period details and features will be retained and enhanced.

Existing circulation within the buildings, in particular New Craig, will inform sensitive future sub division. We anticipate a wide and varied mix of apartments, each designed to fully integrate period features, aligned with external views and orientation. The Great Hall within New Craig will remain as a shared, useful space, central to the new community.

Indicative layouts show how the existing building readily converts, with very minor alterations, into a rich and varied

mix of apartments

The Great Hall Pivotal to future community life



Craighouse Campus. Consultation Questions

The proposals raise a number of questions. We welcome any comments and considered opinion to inform and direct future development.

Listed below are a number of key issues currently under consideration:

1. Entrance from Craighouse Road.We propose a realigned entrance comprising a formal avenue of trees from gate to the entrance court of New Craig. Visually this connects with the Spire of Morningside Parish Church, connecting Craighouse and Community. With students no longer entering the grounds, the existing bus service will be re-routed to stop short of the Craighouse grounds. This will allow the new entrance gate to be more appropriately designed, the control barrier removed, and the existing breach through the boundary wall tobe repaired. The proposed new vehicular entrance will be further north then existing. Do you agree with this realignment?

Access and roadways.

2. Access from Craiglea PlaceWe propose to take access for a small number of new houses from the existing access along Craiglea Place. The new configuration will remain as a cul de sac serving only housing with no onward connection. Once inside the grounds, our preference is to enhance and upgrade the existing unsurfaced access track into a slightly wider shared surface roadway and path, fully landscaped with grass verges and enhanced tree planting. The alternative strategy is to leave the existing track untouched, and build a completely separate new access running parallel, to the North, again fully integrated into the landscape.Do you have a preference for integration or separation?

3. MaterialsThe proposed internal access strategy aims to significantly reduce the extent of tarmac within the grounds. We also seek to make the roadways as visually discrete as possible with appropriate surfaces, with grass verges rather than kerbs etc.Would you support this strategy?




LandscapePublic Access is maintained and indeed embraced. Landscape maintenance and management will be funded by the future residents. The landscape strategy is cohesive and bold.

4. Do you support the reconfiguration of the south east landscape into the sculptural landform (the wave) or would you prefer it to remain simply as existing?

Landscape and woodland.

Etching showing gates and Lime tree avenue

1��2: The main change since 1�� is the continued development and introduction of woodland planting across the site. Other structures such as the curling pond and boiler houses to the north of New Craig have been introduced. Networks of paths and roads have also been further developed.

1��0: Again, the landscape structure of the site has been developed since recorded in 1��2. Most notably, the structuring and resultant intensity of use of the open area to the south east of the site, and the infill woodland planting to the south west.

1��: Old Craig and associated features such as entrance avenue and gardens can be identified. The rest of the site is divided by planted ‘field boundary’ lines, dividing it into six main areas. Other features include aquarry in the north east corner.

1��: Between 1�� and 1��, the main development is the introduction of Queen’s Craig, New Craig, South Craig, Bevan and East Craig. There is also development of the planted boundaries to the south and south east of the site.

5. We propose to create a new tree lined entrance avenue focused on and appropriate in scale and grandeur to New Craig. Old Craig would then nestle more comfortably within the landscape. Do you agree that the entrance approach should be realigned to New Craig, rather than Old Craig as existing?

6. The woodland and treescape has varied significantly over time. Would you support removal of the trees to the south of New Craig and a return to an open, recreational garden landscape, as illustrated in the photograph below?




7. Built form.In parallel with the designed landscape, new buildings will be of exemplary quality in both design and material specification. All the existing buildings were striking and contemporary for the time. A Century later, do you prefer traditional or modern buildings in the context of the listed buildings?

8. Development PlotsAlthough we are not indicating this, would you support development within the woodland areas, as part of a wider landscaping strategy?

9 Existing Learning Resource CentreDo you support demolition of this building?

10. Learning Resource Centre. If so, would you support its replacement with flatted apartments?

11. Community WoodlandAlthough part of the private landholding, the woodland nature reserve could be placed in community ownership.Do you think more of the publicly accessible woodland be handed over to community ownership and management?

Landscape and woodland.

51 acres grade a listed buildings: old craig new craig...

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