above: Edinburgh’s Jeffrey Street Project (Allan Murray Architects) is a bold plan that has polarised opinion right: An artist’s impression of Greenside Place from Calton Hill by
Jim Douglas
far right: The Exchange (Terry Farrell and Partners) could be better for business than architecture
12 THE LIST ‘5 It”,
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height doesn‘t bother me it oo/es 'landmark‘ hut it could he so easy to cut a Vista throttgh at street le\el. l{\ en a nod to the puhlic in the torn] ol a root terrace may haye partially assuaged tne. 'l‘ransl’ormation hecomes polarisation: pri\'atisation ol‘ space sa\es the Views tor the lew. .'\s tor the I'Clttt‘hislttttc‘ttl ol the arches (the nascent arts quarteri. this is clearly excellent as an oycrdue reinyigoration ol~ liast Market Street. and l'antastic as the perl'ect l’R smokescreen.
Granton Waterfront .lluslt'r/t/un urc/t/lvt'ls.’ Hem'//_\‘/t-l)ttt'it'sj architects." mr/ous ()ne—hillion-pound hudget. \Vorld ’l‘rade (‘cntre and landmark gasometers tone listed). all hy the sea; the phrases ‘promising contc\t‘ and 'internationally signilicant~ spring to mind. let‘s hope lidinhurgh can pull this one oll‘ (let's lace it. the relationship with the sea at present is a disaster). ’l‘he site in North (iranton comprises both actiye and disused industrial sites. mostly ugly anonymous sheds. lnterspersed are some ttolc\\ot'tlt_\ elements: the world‘s lirst purpose-huilt car lactory (.\'ladel\'ic). tltc site ol' the world's first roll on roll-loll l'crt'}. historic (it'anton Square. ('aroline l’ark. two yacht cluhs and a landlocked lighthouse. not to mention three gasometers that act as landmarks l'or lidinhurgh l'rom alar. ln passing. it‘s notahle that all the gasometcrs were proposed to he
demolished. though the central one is listed: rttmours suggest this may now he sayed. Just like the .lel'l‘rey Street scheme. there is a website campaigning against the proposals. operated liy one ol‘ the yacht cluhs.
It is hard to compreheml a project so large. but two things are certain. Bordering some of lidinhurgh's poorest estates and heing on the city’s edge mean adequate social housing proyision. and sufficient and integrated public transport are a tnust. 'l’he deyelopers cannot afford to t‘udge this one. or they'll end up with more than a yacht club on their hacks.
The Exchange
.llus/crp/un (ll'(‘/Ill('('l.\.‘ 'li'n'y l-izrrv/l A" l’urmvrs‘;
architects: t'uriousx
('eaucescu l’la/a was how Murray (irigor described it. liestiyal Square is the soulless \‘Ultl that until recently tried \ainly to he the |i\‘change's centrepiece. It is of course anything but a lestiyal in this square. apart from a brief splash of colour courtesy ol' architects-oli—air at this year’s l5estiyal. Ironically. this massiye inl'latahle was too much tor the Sheraton Hotel who complained that it spoilt the View.
The lischange was masterplamted hy 'l'erry l’arrcll & l’artners: they haye an lidinhurgh ol‘l'ice. hut are based in l.ondon. and are largely known lor their post-modern designs ahoye (’haring (‘ross Station and at MIS. The architects' masterplan aimed to lill the disused goods yard —r to the south ol‘ the l'ormer railway hotel. the ('aledonian with high— densit} ol'lice hlocks. 'l’ltese haye Varied lrottt (‘t'(’_\'doti—ttteets— Dallas at Baillie (iil’l‘ord to pompous neo—classical at Standard lite and (‘lydesdale Bank which lace each other across the harren chasm ol‘ the Western .»\pproach Road. More recent