Craigdon Mountain Sports Retail Facility, Pentland Hills Building, Project Design Image

Craigdon Mountain Sports Retail Facility Building

Pentland Hills Retail Facility design by Oberlanders Architects LLP

18 Oct 2013

Design: Oberlanders Architects LLP

Pentland Outdoor Centre, Pentland Hills

44 Biggar Road, Edinburgh, EH10 7BJ

Craigdon Mountain Sports Retail Facility

Work on the £3m Pentland Outdoor Centre is now underway on the site of a former hotel.

The centre is being built at Fairmilehead, Edinburgh and will be run by Craigdon Mountain Sports, a family run business with 26 years of experience in retail. The new centre will have three floors of retail, office and restaurant space and will be built using traditional stone and wood finishes and will be powered by solar energy.

Proposed building:

images from Oberlanders Architects LLP

Steel work will be erected this month and the proposed café/restaurant will offer views of the Pentland Hills. The next step is to identify the right food operator for the development and Graham + Sibbald is currently in discussion with a number of interested parties.

Keith Watters of Graham + Sibbald said: “This is a fantastic new development for Edinburgh and hill walkers, climbers and skiers will be flocking here once it is open for business. We want a quality food operator that will complement the family ethos of the centre.”

Gordon Lee, owner of Craigdon Mountain Sports and the new centre, said:-“We are very excited to be in Edinburgh. We have been looking for the right site for a few years now and it has been really helpful working with Keith and the team at Graham + Sibbald, as they know the area so well. We plan to work closely with Midlothian Snow Sports Centre and the Pentland Rangers to bring greater awareness of the outdoor pursuits available on Edinburgh’s doorstep.”

The site of the development is situated just off the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass and with construction now underway it is anticipated opening the centre in spring 2014.

8 Oct 2012

Craigdon Mountain Sports Retail Facility Building News

Design: Oberlanders Architects LLP

Craigdon Mountain Sports Retail Facility, Pentland Hills

44 Biggar Road, Edinburgh, EH10 7BJ

Summary:

Oberlanders are pleased to announce successfully obtaining Planning Consent at committee, for Craigdon Mountain Sports’ Pentlands ecological ‘hub’ for mountain sports information and equipment supply, on the 26th of September 2012.

Fairmilehead Community Council commented they were “pleased to wholeheartedly support this application.” And went on to note “We must congratulate the applicants and their architects on submitting such an exciting and innovative design…We are particularly pleased that the proposals are eco-friendly and include the extensive use of solar panels…a new building which can only enhance this gateway to Edinburgh.”

Proposal images ; existing building

images from Oberlanders Architects LLP

The mixed use buildings combine retail sales with ‘front of house’ facilities for the Pentland Rangers and 3 staff residences. There will be an area allocated to ski rental and a repair workshop. A cafe will be incorporated into the main building providing a social focal point and taking advantage of the fantastic views offered to the South of the site.

Pentland Hills Building

Detailed description

One larger mixed use facility housing the entire commercial element and one smaller private residential block, intended for use by Craigdon staff. The main building comprises 3 storeys accommodating all of the retail space, cafe, mixed use offices and a sports therapy room, plus a basement level which accommodates the majority of the storage requirements for the building as well as the workshop and rental area.

The residential staff building is located to the west of the main building. This block is three storeys in height plus a basement level, comprising of 2 x 2 bedroom flats with South facing living/kitchen area and terraces. The third flat is spread over two storeys, with three bedrooms and a South facing kitchen/living area, terrace and access to an external courtyard.

The orientation of the proposal picks up on the natural sight lines that exist from the Biggar Road across the site, beyond the Bypass and onto the Pentland range, focussing on the Hillend Ski Centre. The almost oval plan was adapted from the existing Fairmile Inn to echo the history of the site, but with the orientation and location changed to give the building a stronger presence. Orientating the building along this new axis creates a direct relationship with its wider surroundings paying homage to the Pentlands context and celebrating unique views of the mountain range.

This new orientation is also beneficial in breaking up the site into organised pockets with different spatial qualities that suit the various built forms. The North West corner of the site sits on Swanston Drive, a residential road. The privacy created by the main building’s orientation provides an appropriate area for the location of the residential element. It doesn’t stray from the pattern of the existing street and creates a street frontage which in turn generates a sense of visual and physical enclosure.

images from Oberlanders Architects LLP

Appendix

Fairmilehead Community Council Full Quote

The Council are pleased to wholeheartedly support this application.

We must congratulate the applicants and their architects on submitting such an exciting and innovative design for the premises. We are particularly pleased that the proposals are eco-friendly and include the extensive use of solar panels. We also commend the proposals for possible local employment and a focal point for the community.

The proposals will sit well in the context of the Pentlands, Midlothian Ski Centre, the local farms, golf courses and existing recreational facilities.

The existing site and the old Fairmile Inn has been an eye sore for many years and we are pleased that it is to be demolished and replaced with a new building which can only enhance this gateway to Edinburgh.

Craigdon Mountain Sports Retail Facility Building images / information from Oberlanders Architects LLP

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image from Oberlanders Architects
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Comments / photos for the Craigdon Mountain Sports Retail Facility Edinburgh Building design by Oberlanders Architects LLP page welcome