A new stair for a New Town house
A contemporary re-working of a house in Georgian Edinburgh
A contemporary re-working of a house in Georgian Edinburgh
This 3 storey property was formed as part of a very poor quality 1970's subdivision of an 1806 A Listed Georgian house in Edinburgh's New Town. Only one room retained original Georgian plaster and joinery detailing.
Our brief was a comprehensive refurbishment and reorganisation of the accommodation to suit modern living. However, we recognised that the existing vertical circulation was preventing a coherent link between any of the floor levels - blighting the quality of the house. We felt addressing this was the key to the success of the project.
The plan arrangement of rooms on each level does not correlate and rooms from adjacent flats fill in the gaps between. We identified that, although currently choked with ad hoc flights of pine stair and bathrooms, the original Georgian stair enclosure was the only element that spanned through all three floors. We stripped out this 12M high space back to the bare stonework and installed our new stair.
The new stair is formed around a continuous, sculptural, white balustrade that unwinds from top to bottom within a new semi-circular enclosure. The walnut treads span between the curved planes. Above the central point we formed a coffered 'false sky' with 16 inward pointing concealed blue LEDs.
The stair is a dramatic and unexpected insertion within the core of one of Edinburgh's historic classical terraces. It demonstrates how a contemporary intervention, conceived with conviction, has the ability to revive the quality and value of a neglected building.
Our brief was a comprehensive refurbishment and reorganisation of the accommodation to suit modern living. However, we recognised that the existing vertical circulation was preventing a coherent link between any of the floor levels - blighting the quality of the house. We felt addressing this was the key to the success of the project.
The plan arrangement of rooms on each level does not correlate and rooms from adjacent flats fill in the gaps between. We identified that, although currently choked with ad hoc flights of pine stair and bathrooms, the original Georgian stair enclosure was the only element that spanned through all three floors. We stripped out this 12M high space back to the bare stonework and installed our new stair.
The new stair is formed around a continuous, sculptural, white balustrade that unwinds from top to bottom within a new semi-circular enclosure. The walnut treads span between the curved planes. Above the central point we formed a coffered 'false sky' with 16 inward pointing concealed blue LEDs.
The stair is a dramatic and unexpected insertion within the core of one of Edinburgh's historic classical terraces. It demonstrates how a contemporary intervention, conceived with conviction, has the ability to revive the quality and value of a neglected building.
