Edinburgh's School of Performing Arts

The purpose of this project is to give response to Edinburgh's Oldtown historical context considering nowadays gentrification. To sew forgoten continuities with existing fabric, adding to homogenic townscape, recreating oldtown’s atmosphere. A mixed use facility, day to day educational and for punctual large audiences shows too.

I firstly spotted the lot while I was living in Edinburgh during the fist year of my masters. The site is in the corner of Southbridge and Cowgate, in the heart of the Oldtown. It had remained abandoned after an accidental fire had taken down several properties in 2002. Owners could not agree on the investment to make and due to the regrettable latest buildings rised in the oldtown, scottish architect Malcomn Fraser set up an ideas competition for students and professionals opening to debate for a better solution. Two topics to discuss: how to proceed in such a difficult historical context and how to face Edinburgh's oldtown gentrification. In terms of urbanism I was very attracted to this intersection of two streets at different levels. The meeting of two different urban fabrics from two different times. On the opposite, the high density, the sloped roofs, the staggered down the hill buildings, and the use of the same sand-stone created a homogenic townscape. There had to have a duality in the project in response to these complexities which really attracted me. Also I though facing gentrification to be interesting because it is being a problem extended to many european oldtown cities. Locals had been forced to go away from their neighbour because the increase of prises among rents and live expenses. In my opinion to re-establish the balance it is needed a mixed use program facility: capable of attracting locals to the daily use but also host punctual large scale events (or both at the same time). Having a public role also, linking different public spaces at different levels (southbridge to Hastie's courtyard and then to Cowgate) allow users to walk through the building. I addition to this, I was interested on developing the performing arts school program since such different spaces could be combined at. On top of this, Edinburgh’s festival had not a native school to introduce and educate from early ages to professionals.