The Schoolhouse – Edinburgh

Overview:
CCG (Scotland) Ltd in partnership with Parc Craigmillar Ltd, part of the EDI Group, successfully regenerated the site of the former Niddrie Mill Primary School, Edinburgh, through a stunning mix of Private for Sale and Affordable housing.

The former primary school held great historical significance to the local community of Niddrie Mill and the wider area of Craigmillar, and with that CCG were challenged with retaining as much of the building as possible.

Project Type/Application:
The house styling was created to allow a consistency of approach and a ‘sense of place’ which was modern and relevant to the area using an appropriate choice of materials, and an open plan streetscape. A contemporary, uncluttered approach was adopted with the historic context of the site reflected in the choice of brick for the main material, recalling that of the retained façade, used in conjunction with a limited palette of dark grey window frames and zinc panelling.

From the very start of works in January 2015, CCG understood the care and attention that was required working on a site that is located immediately adjacent to a busy main road that only spans 0.76 ha in size. This, compounded with the need to provide affordable, energy efficient housing, meant that the use of the CCG OSM iQ4 closed panel timber system was invaluable to the successful delivery of the project.

Adopting a Fabric First Approach, CCG OSM’s closed panel timber system was delivered to site complete with insulation, wall linings, windows, doors and service zones which vastly reduced the pressure on the surrounding community with faster speed of erection and fewer vehicular movements. A key example of this efficiency was the construction of the first block of terraced housing. From being delivered to site in March 2015, the block of 3 homes was brought to full completion in just 7 weeks to accommodate CCG’s show home complex.

Outcome/Results/Success Factor:
The ability to have a working show home complex enabled CCG to start selling the development faster, contributing to the sale of all 32 private homes in just over 1 year.

The scale of CCG’s construction activities bring many benefits, including job creation and regeneration of local areas. This means the Group has a responsibility to ensure that our impact creates a positive legacy and ‘The Schoolhouse’ was no different. Working with our partners in the supply chain, CCG employed three apprentice joiners as a direct consequence of the project, and by working with Edinburgh-based charities (Action for Children and Barnardo’s Edinburgh) we were also able to offer work placements to five young people who gained experience as general labourers.