Transforming the past, accommodating our future
Hitting new heights: a 19th century hospital was renovated into stylish student accommodation in the heart of the City of Edinburgh, in time for the University of Edinburgh's 2014/15 term.
Deaconess House Project summary
Client
Mace Real Estate / University of Edinburgh Endowment Fund
Project value
£26m
Key partners
Montagu Evans, Brodies, Jones Lang Lasalle, Kalyvides Partnership Architects, Curtins Consulting, Aecom, Graham Construction
Services provided
Project and programme management, Cost consultancy, Consult
Sectors
Locations
Project timeline
- Start date
- 2013
- End date
- August 2014
Project story
Easing the student housing crisis while simultaneously preserving a slice of Scottish history, we worked in tandem with Edinburgh’s esteemed university to develop the former NHS Lothian headquarters into a 318-bed student accommodation scheme.
In 2012 we used our vast project management and construction expertise to acquire Deaconess House. Joining forces with the University of Edinburgh, we made it our mission to construct high-end housing with a nod to the city’s history – capable of attracting students the world over.
With demolition and strip out works taking place at the end of 2012, and build completed by the start of the 2014/15 academic year, this ambitious project combined the former hospital’s Victorian exterior with a cutting edge interior refurbishment.
The original Deaconess Hospital building was joined by three new blocks, arranged around a central courtyard to deliver studio and cluster rooms, sat at the foot of the Salisbury Crags cliffs.
With our comprehensive mix of construction, development and project management expertise, this allowed a single point of contact for the university, and helped further this unique partnership.
Project stats
“This is an excellent solution to the demands the university has for quality accommodation in the City of Edinburgh. Mace has created a development that is consistent with the historic surroundings of the city and believes it will set a new quality benchmark for students both in Edinburgh and across the country.”
“Mace has brought us a well thought out deliverable scheme which exactly fits with our future needs, so we are delighted to have a market leading partner on the project to take the turn-key development risk on our behalf.”
