Coltbridge Avenue, Edinburgh, for John Birnie Ltd

This block of 12 flats for sale is set alongside the Water of Leith in this residential Conservation Area in the city.

The scheme is conceived as a set of “riverside warehouses” built right on the bank of the river, approached from the north via an entrance court. On the opposite bank of the river a steep wooded hillside rises above the Water of Leith Walkway. The building therefore has two frontages, one more private than the other.

Ground floor flats are maindoors with their own entrance porches. Upper floor flats – four in each block - are served by a straight flight of stairs set into a ‘slot’ with a glazed roof in order to make a visual connection between the entrance court, the river and trees beyond, and to let shafts of sunlight through to the court from the south . Internally the flats are built on split levels so as to provide generous volumes to the principal rooms in each house.

The living spaces on the lower two floors face south on to the river with balconies and terraces. The top floor is conceived as a ‘loft’ running through under a top lit pitched roof, with its taller living volume on the north overlooking the court and providing some security.

Design / Build.