Edinburgh University: Bristo Square prior to redevelopment
The redevelopment of Bristo Square started in April 2015. The square has been fenced off and the trees felled. Earth moving equipment has dug down to basement level to create a new entrance. Check out other images in the Bristo Square group. www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/skateboarders-mark-en...
The square opened in 1983 to mark the quatercentenary of the University of Edinburgh (founded 1583). Although it has been treated as a public open space for most of the year, prior to redevelopment the university rented it out during the Edinburgh fringe festival and it is became home to a huge purple cow marquee run by the Udderbelly during August. At other times it was an unoffical skateboarding park.
The square was designed by the architectural practice headed by Prof. Percy Johnson-Marshall (1915-1993) who held the chair of urban design and regional planning at the University of Edinburgh. It was part of the 1962 plan to create a civic space to replace Bristo Street, realigning Potterrow and Lothian Street in the process. Consulting engineers were Jamieson, MacKay & Partners. (Plans and photographs held by the university library in The Percy Johnson-Marshall Collection www.archives.lib.ed.ac.uk/catalogue/cs/viewcat.pl?id=GB-2...)
According to documents held by the university library, the site for the 'Student Amenity Centre' was allocated between Marshall Street and Lothian Street in 1943. Layouts were proposed in the Charles Henry Holden Scheme (1947) and the Sir Basil Spence Scheme (1955), but it was Percy Johnson-Marshall's plan (1962-1982) which placed the student buildings to the north and east of his planned new Bristo Square. Morris & Steedman were appointed architects for the Amenity Centre in 1962, with work commencing in 1967. The first phase (Refectory and Health Centre) was completed in 1969 and the second (including Bank, Shops and Chaplaincy Centre) in 1976. Two further phases were cancelled.
7 Bristo Square by Morris & Steedman is brutalist concrete modernism with stilts and ribbed towers. The student refectory was converted into teaching space and the access to the building has been changed.
In January 2018 it was announced £8.4 million would be spent creating a new Health and Wellbeing Centre at 7 Bristo Square. www.ed.ac.uk/students/inspiring-students/we-are-investing
Robert Steedman (b. 1929) and James Morris (1931-2006) qualified as architects at Edinburgh College of Art in 1955. They are said to have been influenced by Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Richard Neutra. The practice won a number of prestigious awards including Saltire and Civic Trust Awards, European Architectural Heritage Medal and two Royal Institute of British Architects Awards for Scotland.
A booklet about this celebrated partnership can be downloaded from Historic Scotland: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/architectsvolume1.pdf
Scottish Architects www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=400368
In 2009 the university put forward a master plan document suggesting these buildings be demolished. See page 3: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/3815/university...
In 2013 the university announced plans to spend £34m on improvements to the McEwan Hall and Bristo Square. Work started in April 2015.
Ongoing updates: www.ed.ac.uk/estatesprojects/central-area/live-capital-pr...
Urban Realm: www.urbanrealm.com/news/4305/University_of_Edinburgh_subm...
Edinburgh University: Bristo Square prior to redevelopment
The redevelopment of Bristo Square started in April 2015. The square has been fenced off and the trees felled. Earth moving equipment has dug down to basement level to create a new entrance. Check out other images in the Bristo Square group. www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/skateboarders-mark-en...
The square opened in 1983 to mark the quatercentenary of the University of Edinburgh (founded 1583). Although it has been treated as a public open space for most of the year, prior to redevelopment the university rented it out during the Edinburgh fringe festival and it is became home to a huge purple cow marquee run by the Udderbelly during August. At other times it was an unoffical skateboarding park.
The square was designed by the architectural practice headed by Prof. Percy Johnson-Marshall (1915-1993) who held the chair of urban design and regional planning at the University of Edinburgh. It was part of the 1962 plan to create a civic space to replace Bristo Street, realigning Potterrow and Lothian Street in the process. Consulting engineers were Jamieson, MacKay & Partners. (Plans and photographs held by the university library in The Percy Johnson-Marshall Collection www.archives.lib.ed.ac.uk/catalogue/cs/viewcat.pl?id=GB-2...)
According to documents held by the university library, the site for the 'Student Amenity Centre' was allocated between Marshall Street and Lothian Street in 1943. Layouts were proposed in the Charles Henry Holden Scheme (1947) and the Sir Basil Spence Scheme (1955), but it was Percy Johnson-Marshall's plan (1962-1982) which placed the student buildings to the north and east of his planned new Bristo Square. Morris & Steedman were appointed architects for the Amenity Centre in 1962, with work commencing in 1967. The first phase (Refectory and Health Centre) was completed in 1969 and the second (including Bank, Shops and Chaplaincy Centre) in 1976. Two further phases were cancelled.
7 Bristo Square by Morris & Steedman is brutalist concrete modernism with stilts and ribbed towers. The student refectory was converted into teaching space and the access to the building has been changed.
In January 2018 it was announced £8.4 million would be spent creating a new Health and Wellbeing Centre at 7 Bristo Square. www.ed.ac.uk/students/inspiring-students/we-are-investing
Robert Steedman (b. 1929) and James Morris (1931-2006) qualified as architects at Edinburgh College of Art in 1955. They are said to have been influenced by Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Richard Neutra. The practice won a number of prestigious awards including Saltire and Civic Trust Awards, European Architectural Heritage Medal and two Royal Institute of British Architects Awards for Scotland.
A booklet about this celebrated partnership can be downloaded from Historic Scotland: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/architectsvolume1.pdf
Scottish Architects www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=400368
In 2009 the university put forward a master plan document suggesting these buildings be demolished. See page 3: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/3815/university...
In 2013 the university announced plans to spend £34m on improvements to the McEwan Hall and Bristo Square. Work started in April 2015.
Ongoing updates: www.ed.ac.uk/estatesprojects/central-area/live-capital-pr...
Urban Realm: www.urbanrealm.com/news/4305/University_of_Edinburgh_subm...