IONA STREET

Student Accommodation in Leith, Edinburgh

The Project

Located on the site of a former builders’ merchants in the lively neighbourhood of Leith, the Iona Street development comprises 250 student bedspaces, 60 build to rent flats, and 20 affordable homes distributed across three newly constructed residential blocks. The development aimed to address local housing needs by providing a mix of student accommodation, rental units, and affordable homes, contributing to the vibrancy and diversity of Leith. The design fully maximised the volume of the site by building close to boundaries and making innovative use of the basement /lower ground conditions. It also incorporates sustainable materials and creative architectural solutions to optimise land use while ensuring a welcoming and attractive streetscape.

The Challenge

Engineering the boundaries of this project were key to its success. To make commercial development feasible within local height limits, a semi-basement/ lower ground floor was needed. Existing masonry structures formed three of the boundaries to the site and Iona Street, the adopted Highway, formed the fourth. Every direction one looked, the engineering was challenging and bespoke design approaches were required.

Our Solutions

A mix of retention solutions were developed here; contiguous piled walls, Kingpost walls and traditional RC stem walls constructed in open cut. In each case, the solutions were driven by assessing the structures on the boundary and designing methodologies to best protect their integrity.

Both sub and superstructure elements were designed in reinforced concrete. Groundwater was an initial design concern given historical research suggested that an open watercourse had once passed through the site. The foundation arrangements were coordinated closely with a specialist waterproofing designer/ supplier/ installer ensuring the client achieved a single point of responsibility.

Superstructure designs for all blocks utilised RC flat slab techniques. This provided minimum floor zones and hence lowest possible floor to floor heights which were key both for affordability and managing planning restrictions on ridge heights.