Quartermile
Quartermileis the marketing name given to themixed useredevelopment of the formerRoyal Infirmary of Edinburghsite, inLauriston,Edinburgh.It was master-planned by architectFoster + Partnersand takes its name from the fact it is a quarter mile (400 m) from Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile and measures a quarter mile from corner to corner. It was built by Edinburgh developer Qmile Group, aholding company.The scheme comprises a mixture of new buildapartments,apartments converted from existing nineteenth-century hospital buildings, new buildoffices,housing, andretail/leisureuses. Completed in 2018 after more than a decade of construction, it contains 1,050 apartments, 370,000 square feet (34,000 m2) of office space, 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) of retail and leisure space and seven-acres of open landscape.[1]
Design[edit]
The former site of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh was sold in 2001 by Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust (subsequentlyNHS Lothian), whereuponFoster and Partnerswere retained as the architects for new structures[2]whilst plans for theDavid Bryce-designed former hospital buildings were devised by Comprehensive Design Architects (CDA). The project overlooks and is connected toThe Meadows,a large public open space in central Edinburgh.
Tenants[edit]
Quartermile’s occupiers include travel companySkyscanner,hardware and software solutions supplierCirrus Logic,and legal firms Morton Fraser andMaclay Murray & Spens.[3]In 2017 all commercial units were fully sold or let.
The Quartermile development also houses the Edinburgh Futures Institute, which is the University of Edinburgh’s interdisciplinary hub.[4]
History[edit]
The former surgical building was at one stage intended to become a5 starhotel,designed byRichard Murphyarchitects, but no operator was found to run the hotel, this was then intended for conversion to apartments.[5]Richard Murphy architects were at that stage still however involved with the site and were considering designing affordable housing for the site.[6]
The site was sold by the Lothian University Hospitals Trust in 2001 to a joint venture betweenBank of Scotland,Taylor Woodrowand Kilmartin Property Group for around£35 million,having previously been used for theRoyal Infirmary of Edinburgh.[7]Gladedale Capital bought out Taylor Woodrow’s 50 per cent stake in 2005, while Kilmartin Property Group went intoadministrationin 2010.[7]
The development was sold byLloyds Banking Groupto property investor Moorfield in September 2013.[8][9]By 2018, Qmile was the sole owner.[4]
Suggestions by theInternational Council on Monuments and Sitesthat the impact of the development could cause Edinburgh to lose itsWorld Heritage Sitestatus[10]were vigorously denied by theCity of Edinburgh Council.[11]
The commercial office building, Quartermile One, won the Scottish Regional Award for Best Commercial Space in the British Council for Offices Awards in 2008.[12]
References[edit]
- ^"Appendix 5: Case Studies Profile".The Scottish Government.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^"Quartermile Masterplan".Foster and Partners.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^"Quartermile lands year's biggest letting in Edinburgh".The Scotsman.24 April 2017.Retrieved23 October2020.
- ^abDonald, Colin (23 May 2018)."Quartermile developers buy out owner funds as project reaches final stages".Scottish Business Insider.Retrieved23 October2020.
- ^"A change of formula for Quartermile".The Scotsman.22 November 2005.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^"Wharton Square Housing at Quartermile (ex Royal Infirmary), Edinburgh".Richard Murphy Architects.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^ab"Edinburgh Quartermile scheme set for £170m boost".The Scotsman.3 November 2013.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^"Edinburgh Quartermile scheme sold to Moorfield".The Scotsman.26 September 2013.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^"Moorfield - Scotland, Moorfield Group buys Quartermile in Edinburgh".Propertymall.25 September 2013.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^"UN slams capital's Quartermile".The Scotsman.4 March 2007.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^"UN not opposed to capital project".The Scotsman.10 March 2007.Retrieved16 June2014.
- ^Quartermile One(PDF)(1 ed.). Edinburgh. pp. 1–40.Retrieved23 October2020.
External links[edit]
