Destination Hillend, Edinburgh on the Pentland Hills, Midlothian Snowsports Centre architecture design news
Destination Hillend Edinburgh Building
Contemporary South Edinburgh sports and leisure facility design by Smith Scott Mullan Associates Architects, Scotland, UK
27 July 2023
Location: Pentland Hills, southwest Edinburgh, by Colinton
New national leisure destination will draw sports enthusiasts to the Pentland Hills
Design: Smith Scott Mullan Associates
Destination Hillend, Pentland Hills
Smith Scott Mullan Associates have submitted a planning application on behalf of Midlothian Council for Destination Hillend, a new landmark which will transform the existing Midlothian Snowsports Centre into a multi-activity national leisure destination on the Pentland Hills, overlooking Midlothian and Edinburgh.
The design uses a monolithic volume set within the Pentland Hills landscape. The volume mimics the ridgeline of the hills beyond the building, whilst highlighting the key activities and access points on the facade. At first floor, the forms are clad in red terracotta tiles referencing the terracotta roof tiles of historic agricultural buildings in the Lothians. The main entrances are picked out with glazed bricks in a pattern that echoes the local hillside, using greens of the landscape, yellows of gorse flowers and purples of heather to draw visitors in.
The building will create a hub for multiple activities including climbing, soft play, ski-hire, dining, events and retail. Importantly, a green roof enhances site biodiversity and embeds the new forms into the hillside context, particularly when viewed from the hillside above. The building negotiates the steep topography by being built into the hillside and allows users to move from the access road level to the base of the ski slopes and other hillside activities, which will include a zipline, alpine coaster and tubing.
The development is targeting net zero in terms of operational carbon using a fabric-first approach and will utilise renewables for operational energy. Smith Scott Mullan Associates are now progressing technical design information for the new landmark, sensitively tucked into the hillside.
Client Quote: “We’re hugely excited for this project to turn the snowsports centre into a national, if not international, tourist attraction and to safeguard the future of a facility already well-loved by everyone from Olympians to novice snowboarders.” – Paul Campbell (Project Manager)
Destination Hillend Pentland Hills – Building Information
Project Consultants:
• Structural: Pick Everard
• M&E: Cundall
• QS: Thomson Bethune
• PM: Hardies Property & Construction Consultants
• Landscape: Wardell Armstrong
• Planning: Montague Evans
• CDM: Midlothian Council
Project Details:
• Project Cost: £31M
• Software: Revit, BIM Level 2
Contact details:
• Project Architects – Matthew Fair, Nicoletta Petralla, Ben Rainger
Smith Scott Mullan Associates Ltd
10 Rutland Square Edinburgh EH1 2AS
0131 555 1414
www.smith-scott-mullan.co.uk
Destination Hillend, Edinburgh Pentland Hills building images / information received 270723 from Smith Scott Mullan Associates
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