Lansdowne House, Edinburgh

Set within an expansive landscaped site, the former school campus is redeveloped as a high-quality extra care community, carefully balancing heritage and contemporary design. The proposals restore the site’s original residential character, centred around the retained Victorian villa and gate lodge, which are both sensitively refurbished.

New-build elements are carefully placed to complement the scale, materiality and rhythm of the surrounding historic fabric, creating a cohesive setting for the C-listed Lansdowne House. Within the villa, key heritage interiors are retained are repurposed as communal spaces, while upper floors are adapted into apartments which celebrate original features.

The wider masterplan is shaped by a landscape-led approach, reinstating historic garden structures and enhancing biodiversity through varied planting and increased usable green space.

Download project card (244 KB pdf)
  • Client − Vivere
  • Architect − CDA
  • Structural Engineer − Harley Haddow
  • Services Engineer − Henderson Warnock
  • Quantity Surveyor − Doig + Smith
  • Landscape Architect − Rankin Fraser
  • Photography − © Sq Ft Media
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