Two prominent residential high-rises in Edinburgh, standing since 1968, are on the cusp of a transformative £21 million retrofit, signaling a significant commitment to modernizing the city’s housing stock for a new era. The proposed appointment of Kier Construction to lead the comprehensive overhaul of Craigmillar Court and Peffermill Court represents a cornerstone of the City Council’s wider Strategic Investment Plan for its tower blocks. This ambitious project aims to move beyond simple repairs, focusing instead on a holistic redevelopment designed to dramatically improve the quality of life for all residents. The core objectives are to enhance comfort, bolster safety measures, drastically improve energy efficiency, and secure the long-term sustainability of these buildings. By addressing decades-old infrastructure challenges, the initiative seeks to create healthier, more affordable, and environmentally responsible homes, setting a new standard for revitalizing aging urban residential towers and ensuring they can serve the community for generations to come.
A Focus on Energy Efficiency and Resident Comfort
A central pillar of the modernization project is the substantial upgrade of the towers’ thermal performance, directly tackling the high energy costs and discomfort associated with their original, uninsulated construction. The plan involves cladding both 15-floor buildings with extensive external wall insulation, a critical measure that will enable the 114 two-bedroom apartments to retain heat far more effectively. This will not only result in warmer and more comfortable living spaces throughout the year but is also projected to lead to a significant reduction in residents’ heating bills. To complement this effort and address persistent issues with air quality, each apartment will be fitted with a state-of-the-art mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system. This technology is designed to continuously extract stale, moist air and replace it with fresh, filtered outdoor air, all while recovering and reusing heat from the outgoing air. The implementation of MVHR systems is a targeted solution to combat long-standing problems with dampness and mold, fostering a healthier indoor environment for every household.
The project also includes a large-scale replacement of the majority of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems, many of which have reached the end of their operational lifespan. This foundational upgrade is crucial for the long-term reliability and safety of the buildings, preventing future failures and reducing the need for costly reactive maintenance. By installing modern, high-efficiency MEP infrastructure, the project will ensure that all new systems, from plumbing to electrical wiring, meet current standards and are optimized for performance. This comprehensive overhaul is intrinsically linked to the project’s sustainability goals. Modernized systems are inherently more energy-efficient, contributing directly to a lower carbon footprint for each tower. Furthermore, they are essential for supporting the new technologies being introduced, such as the MVHR units, ensuring they operate at peak efficiency. This proactive replacement strategy not only future-proofs the buildings but also reinforces the commitment to creating more affordable and resilient homes for the residents.
Enhancing Safety and Community Spaces
Resident safety and security are paramount in the renovation plans, with a series of significant upgrades designed to bring the towers in line with the highest contemporary standards. A multifaceted approach will see the installation of new, certified fire doors in every apartment and all common areas, providing a critical barrier to slow the spread of fire and smoke. This will be further enhanced by the integration of a comprehensive sprinkler system throughout each flat, offering an immediate response capability in the event of a fire. To aid emergency services, a dedicated firefighting lift will be installed in each block, ensuring that firefighters have swift and reliable access to all floors. Beyond fire safety, security will be substantially bolstered through the deployment of a comprehensive CCTV system. This network will provide surveillance of all common areas, including entrances, lobbies, and corridors, acting as a deterrent to antisocial behavior and providing residents with an enhanced sense of security. These measures collectively represent a profound investment in the well-being and peace of mind of the community.
The project extends its transformative vision beyond individual apartments to completely reimagine the communal and external environments, fostering a stronger sense of community and improving the overall aesthetic. The entrance lobbies of both Craigmillar Court and Peffermill Court are set to be redesigned, creating larger, brighter, and more welcoming gateways to the buildings. Alongside this, concierge facilities will be upgraded, and new shared spaces will be introduced to encourage social interaction among neighbors. The exterior landscape will undergo a significant revitalization, including the strategic planting of additional trees to enhance biodiversity and create a greener setting. The plans also feature a fully renovated play park for children, expanded allotments for residents interested in gardening, and realigned parking areas to improve traffic flow and accessibility between the towers. A new, modern on-site waste and recycling strategy will be implemented, replacing the outdated and inefficient bin chutes and promoting more sustainable household practices.
A Blueprint for Urban Renewal
The comprehensive retrofit of Craigmillar Court and Peffermill Court ultimately delivered a new paradigm for urban residential living. By integrating modern energy efficiency measures, the project successfully transformed dated structures into sustainable and affordable homes. The installation of external wall insulation and MVHR systems directly addressed long-standing issues of thermal inefficiency and poor air quality, resulting in warmer, healthier living spaces and significantly lower utility costs for residents. The complete overhaul of essential MEP systems ensured the long-term viability and safety of the towers, while the introduction of advanced fire suppression systems and enhanced security measures provided invaluable peace of mind. This initiative demonstrated that strategic investment in aging high-rise buildings could yield profound benefits, not only reducing carbon emissions but also fostering a renewed sense of community through the thoughtful redesign of shared and external spaces. The project became a powerful testament to how targeted modernization could breathe new life into post-war housing, creating a blueprint for future urban renewal efforts.Fixed version:
Two prominent residential high-rises in Edinburgh, standing since 1968, are on the cusp of a transformative £21 million retrofit, signaling a significant commitment to modernizing the city’s housing stock for a new era. The proposed appointment of Kier Construction to lead the comprehensive overhaul of Craigmillar Court and Peffermill Court represents a cornerstone of the City Council’s wider Strategic Investment Plan for its tower blocks. This ambitious project aims to move beyond simple repairs, focusing instead on a holistic redevelopment designed to dramatically improve the quality of life for all residents. The core objectives are to enhance comfort, bolster safety measures, drastically improve energy efficiency, and secure the long-term sustainability of these buildings. By addressing decades-old infrastructure challenges, the initiative seeks to create healthier, more affordable, and environmentally responsible homes, setting a new standard for revitalizing aging urban residential towers and ensuring they can serve the community for generations to come.
A Focus on Energy Efficiency and Resident Comfort
A central pillar of the modernization project is the substantial upgrade of the towers’ thermal performance, directly tackling the high energy costs and discomfort associated with their original, uninsulated construction. The plan involves cladding both 15-floor buildings with extensive external wall insulation, a critical measure that will enable the 114 two-bedroom apartments to retain heat far more effectively. This will not only result in warmer and more comfortable living spaces throughout the year but is also projected to lead to a significant reduction in residents’ heating bills. To complement this effort and address persistent issues with air quality, each apartment will be fitted with a state-of-the-art mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system. This technology is designed to continuously extract stale, moist air and replace it with fresh, filtered outdoor air, all while recovering and reusing heat from the outgoing air. The implementation of MVHR systems is a targeted solution to combat long-standing problems with dampness and mold, fostering a healthier indoor environment for every household.
The project also includes a large-scale replacement of the majority of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems, many of which have reached the end of their operational lifespan. This foundational upgrade is crucial for the long-term reliability and safety of the buildings, preventing future failures and reducing the need for costly reactive maintenance. By installing modern, high-efficiency MEP infrastructure, the project will ensure that all new systems, from plumbing to electrical wiring, meet current standards and are optimized for performance. This comprehensive overhaul is intrinsically linked to the project’s sustainability goals. Modernized systems are inherently more energy-efficient, contributing directly to a lower carbon footprint for each tower. Furthermore, they are essential for supporting the new technologies being introduced, such as the MVHR units, ensuring they operate at peak efficiency. This proactive replacement strategy not only future-proofs the buildings but also reinforces the commitment to creating more affordable and resilient homes for the residents.
Enhancing Safety and Community Spaces
Resident safety and security are paramount in the renovation plans, with a series of significant upgrades designed to bring the towers in line with the highest contemporary standards. A multifaceted approach will see the installation of new, certified fire doors in every apartment and all common areas, providing a critical barrier to slow the spread of fire and smoke. This will be further enhanced by the integration of a comprehensive sprinkler system throughout each flat, offering an immediate response capability in the event of a fire. To aid emergency services, a dedicated firefighting lift will be installed in each block, ensuring that firefighters have swift and reliable access to all floors. Beyond fire safety, security will be substantially bolstered through the deployment of a comprehensive CCTV system. This network will provide surveillance of all common areas, including entrances, lobbies, and corridors, acting as a deterrent to antisocial behavior and providing residents with an enhanced sense of security. These measures collectively represent a profound investment in the well-being and peace of mind of the community.
The project extends its transformative vision beyond individual apartments to completely reimagine the communal and external environments, fostering a stronger sense of community and improving the overall aesthetic. The entrance lobbies of both Craigmillar Court and Peffermill Court are set to be redesigned, creating larger, brighter, and more welcoming gateways to the buildings. Alongside this, concierge facilities will be upgraded, and new shared spaces will be introduced to encourage social interaction among neighbors. The exterior landscape will undergo a significant revitalization, including the strategic planting of additional trees to enhance biodiversity and create a greener setting. The plans also feature a fully renovated play park for children, expanded allotments for residents interested in gardening, and realigned parking areas to improve traffic flow and accessibility between the towers. A new, modern on-site waste and recycling strategy will be implemented, replacing the outdated and inefficient bin chutes and promoting more sustainable household practices.
A Blueprint for Urban Renewal
The comprehensive retrofit of Craigmillar Court and Peffermill Court ultimately delivered a new paradigm for urban residential living. By integrating modern energy efficiency measures, the project successfully transformed dated structures into sustainable and affordable homes. The installation of external wall insulation and MVHR systems directly addressed long-standing issues of thermal inefficiency and poor air quality, resulting in warmer, healthier living spaces and significantly lower utility costs for residents. The complete overhaul of essential MEP systems ensured the long-term viability and safety of the towers, while the introduction of advanced fire suppression systems and enhanced security measures provided invaluable peace of mind. This initiative demonstrated that strategic investment in aging high-rise buildings could yield profound benefits, not only reducing carbon emissions but also fostering a renewed sense of community through the thoughtful redesign of shared and external spaces. The project became a powerful testament to how targeted modernization could breathe new life into post-war housing, creating a blueprint for future urban renewal efforts.
