Blog: Kings Stables Road

Architect: Fletcher Joseph Associates

Client: Campus DM & Peveril Securities/ Bowmer + Kirkland

King Stables Road is sensitive site within a historic quarter of the Old
Town Edinburgh. Tucked in below Edinburgh Castle, sitting between Castle Rock and the UofE Lauriston Campus, the development is subject to many
contextual factors, to which it responds to well.

The mixed use development transforms the somewhat derelict and disused backspace shown in the top photograph into a sociable courtyard bounded by residences of different scales and incomes. The below image taken from the Architect’s website shows the space as a bustling communal thoroughfare overlooked by residences. To help achieve this, they have gone car-free, with no kerbs to hinder pedestrian traffic and plenty of bike storage to encourage active travel.

The varied scales are as much a response to the layered topography of Edinburgh as it is to sunlight and function. The mixed use project includes
a 7-storey apartment block, student accommodation that includes a private roof terrace, a 4*apart-hotel with a series of studio apartments, garden flats
and townhouses and four ground floor commercial units.

The muted brick with dark slate roofs and cladding allows the buildings to sit comfortably against the historic and natural backdrop. I think this project will set a precedent for many inner-city projects to come, demonstrating a sensitivity to historic, social, economic and environmental context whilst catering to the present/future.