Designed by Anderson Bell Christie, the masterplan comprises a series of six-storey flatted blocks containing a mix of one and two-bedroom flatted dwellings. Situated adjacent to the former Granton Railway Station building – now a business and community hub – it is the first pilot project of the ‘Edinburgh Home Demonstrator’ initiative: a collaboration between local and national government, academia, and the construction industry that is testing a new model for designing, procuring and delivering new homes in the Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland City Region Deal.
‘Granton D1’ also forms part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s £1.3bn Granton Waterfront Regeneration project, one of the most ambitious underway in the UK, where 3,500 net zero homes will be delivered in support of the city’s transition to becoming net zero by 2030.
Construction on the project commenced in May 2022 and works are being led on behalf of the Council by CCG (Scotland).
Arc-Tech (Scotland) is working on behalf of the contractor in partnership with Hawthorne Boyle to help achieve ‘net zero carbon’ which will be delivered through a combination of enhanced fabric performance and a zero-emissions energy strategy.
The development will be the beneficiary of an energy centre located within the masterplan. A cASHP (combined Air Source Heat Pump) system that utilises up to 2 ASHP and 2 WSHP (Water Source Heat Pump) units will be contained within the purpose-built facility which will then connect to a pre-insulated underground pipe network that will service each of the blocks. Operating similarly to a conventional district heating network, each plot will its own Heat Interface Unit (HIU) connecting to all heating appliances and sources of instantaneous hot water services.
Solar PV panel systems will also be installed on the roof of each block which will connect to each dwelling. This will ensure residents will benefit from renewable energy during daylight hours, generating long-term added value in the form of lower fuel costs.
Granton D1 is not entirely car-free; a total of 4 car parking spaces will be provided for each of the wheelchair-accessible plots, all of which will have EV charging infrastructure installed by Arc-Tec alongside fire suppression in the form of sprinkler systems which are integrated into each dwelling.
Carbon offsetting measures will also be in place with the outcomes reviewed through post-occupation analysis that will be undertaken by Edinburgh Napier University to validate the performance of the homes and inform future strategy for EHD projects.
Granton D1 is expected to be fully complete by the end of 2023.
Client:
The City of Edinburgh Council