Just three miles north of Edinburgh’s City Centre, Granton Waterfront has a rich industrial history and maritime heritage. The masterplan transforms the area into a highly sustainable new district that acts as a spearhead of Edinburgh’s climate adaptation goal and how people go about their daily life in the future. The masterplan introduces a sequence of distinct landscape areas based on landscape-led placemaking and adapted re-use of existing structures and topography. This includes new pedestrian streets and cycling networks to promote healthy and active modes of transport and reduce vehicle movements and have a knock-on effect of safer and more attractive streets, reducing noise and air pollution. New community gardens and play and activity spaces inspire incidental play and activities for all ages. A landscape with a significant level of change is located at the base of a historic gasholder and a historic wall and it includes ponds and stepped pedestrian routes.
Climate Adaptation and Sustainability
The masterplan is designed to meet Net Zero Carbon targets. Surface water drainage is dealt with in a combination of wetlands and ponds, permeable paving, rain gardens, courtyards, and green roofs reducing the impact of a new SuDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) infrastructure and significantly contributing to the biodiversity of the site.
Materials that are as low in embodied carbon as possible are used, timber is used as a construction material there is a strong focus on maintainability, end of life, re-purposing, and recycling of materials.
