Tag: housing developer

Hospital hub bolstered by Edinburgh developer 

Children’s charity helped during toughest months with new funding 

Edinburgh’s Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) has been boosted at a crucial time following an £8,000 donation from a business close to its heart. 

After completing the capital’s gruelling Seven Hills of Edinburgh challenge, an 11-strong team from residential developers Square & Crescent raised thousands of pounds that will go directly to the charity’s Hospital Hub. 

The timely funds will support the charity’s active Hospital Hub, which is located within the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and is at its busiest time during winter months.  

Entirely reliant on donations, the Hub is the hospital’s wellbeing centre, acting as a non-clinical space for children and their families to spend time away from wards, allowing them to enjoy a range of activities, events and therapies. 

The donation further strengthens the link between ECHC and Square & Crescent, with the latter refurbishing large elements of Edinburgh’s former Royal Hospital for Sick Children into its Royal Meadows development and agreeing a formal partnership earlier this year.   

Kate Dixon, Corporate & Partnerships Lead at ECHC, said: “Square & Crescent’s donation comes at a really important time for ECHC. Our Hospital Hub sees the most use during the festive months, providing comforting respite for children and families during difficult hospital stays, so this extra funding is a great boost. 

“Not only do we want to continue to improve the Hub’s facilities but it’s about expanding its offering past just a safe space, offering valuable activities and events so children and young people can make the best of a tricky time. 

“We’re very grateful, not just for the latest funding from Square & Crescent, but for its ongoing support and collaboration with our charity.” 

The team at Square & Crescent raised £8,000 by tackling the Seven Hills of Edinburgh challenge, which consists of reaching the peak and walking between seven of the famous hills in the capital – Arthurs Seat, Castle Rock, Calton Hill, Corstorphine Hill, Braid Hills, Blackford Hill and Craiglockhart Hill. 

ECHC is currently fundraising for its annual Christmas appeal, which aims to bring festive fun and happiness to children and families facing potentially life-changing hospital visits this December.

This includes a programme of daily activities throughout the month to make sure no one spending the season in hospital misses out on the magic. So far, children have been entertained by Santa abseiling into the building, a silent disco around the wards and a live pipe band. 

ECHC’s former headquarters is one of the buildings being converted as part of the major Royal Meadows development, which will see the former hospital site transformed into a mix of luxury townhouses and apartments. 

The charity was founded in the 1980s where it was based at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children site near Edinburgh’s Meadows, before the hospital’s relocation to Little France in 2021. 

Euan Marshall, Co-Founder and joint Managing Director of Square & Crescent said: “ECHC is doing incredible work so we were delighted to take on a challenge like the Seven Hills to raise vital funds. 

“As we sensitively redevelop the former Royal Hospital for Sick Children into our Royal Meadows development, we feel a real connection with the charity. It brings us a lot of pride to give back in any small way we can and to be able to support the vital work they are doing for young people in Edinburgh and the Lothians.” 

Square & Crescent’s Royal Meadows development is targeted for completion in 2025 and is set to launch a sales suite in early 2024. It spans across four-acres and is situated one mile from Princes Street and a short walk from Lothian Road, benefitting from a city centre location. 

Square & Crescent is a widely-regarded residential developer with a primary focus on the acquisition, development and refurbishment of beautiful homes. 

For more information on Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, visit https://echcharity.org/ 

For more information on Royal Meadows, or to register interest, please email sales@squareandcrescent.com or call Lesley Coyle on 07586 129184. 

For more information on Square & Crescent, visit https://squareandcrescent.com/ 

Artisan commits to new design standards for Sustainable Homes Development

New homes launches in Edinburgh & Leeds target zero carbon city living 

Niche housebuilder Artisan Real Estate has raised the bar for sustainable development with the launch of an ambitious design framework geared to achieving low to zero carbon city living. 

The developer will now incorporate a set of rigorous guiding principles throughout the development cycle, governing both its environmental and social responsibility whilst responding to the changing requirements of home buyers and local communities across the UK. 

Artisan is now applying the new design framework new residential developments in key UK regional centres – including Rowanbank Gardens in Corstorphine, Edinburgh and Kirkstall Place in Leeds. 

The new framework will help define future development locations, with Artisan committing to the concept of ’15-minute neighbourhoods’ in primarily brownfield city centre areas. It also sets out a radical blueprint for smart building design and the use of innovative technology to reduce energy usage and promote sustainable and community-focused low carbon living.  

“The environmental challenges which have been laid bare during COP 26 has accelerated the importance of changing the way we deliver new homes development,” explains Clive Wilding, Artisan’s Property Director.  

“Artisan is a niche developer which has always striven for improvement by creating a lower carbon footprint in the homes and buildings we create – not just in delivery but throughout their multi-generational lifespan. 

As well as reducing urban sprawl by optimising the number of people living in well-designed, sustainable homes in well-connected locations served by public transport, we are also pioneering the application of new technology to eliminate the use of fossil fuels whilst vastly reducing energy consumption.” 

This design philosophy is being applied to two of Artisan’s soon-to-be launched regional developments – the 126 apartment Rowanbank Gardens in Corstorphine, Edinburgh and 263 new homes at Kirkstall Place in Leeds. 

An innovative approach to placemaking and community has been matched with smart, energy-efficient building design geared to achieving low to zero carbon developments – with an open and landscaped environment set to benefit general health and well-being. 

With no fossil fuels being used and both heating and hot water delivered through individual air source heat pumps, the developments provide smart energy-efficient design geared to achieving low to zero carbon ratings – with the added benefits of lower home-running costs. 

Corstorphine’s Rowanbank Gardens (top) in particular has been designed to respond to the rapidly changing requirements of home buyers and the wider community post pandemic.

Apartments have been designed around an internal courtyard garden filled with fruit trees and communal planting beds and as well as a natural woodland area and play areas. And innovations such as green roofs ensure benefits of surface water retention, improved insulation whilst encouraging ecological biodiversity. 

Clive Wilding continues: “Rowanbank Gardens in Edinburgh is a perfect showcase for the quality of sustainable development that Artisan is now committed to. At its heart is a sustainable design which reflects the demands of modern life, with buildings designed to minimise carbon footprint and maximise daylight. 

“Significant emphasis is also placed on the quality of internal space and light to create enjoyable home-working environments, whilst accessible gardens and landscaping promote health and well-being by making nature and well-designed outdoor space integral to the day-to-day living experience. 

He adds: “With Artisan’s Kirkstall Place development in Leeds, we are providing 263 family homes with large amounts of external space, providing a wide range of biodiversity.  All the homes have been designed to meet our low carbon, non-fossil fuel standards.” 

Artisan is perhaps best known for large-scale city regeneration projects like the award-winning New Waverley, which has transformed the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town. The developer is now applying the same values and philosophy which has guided the successful design and execution of New Waverley to its residential developments, setting it apart from other major UK homebuilders. 

“Remaining true to our urban regeneration credentials, at the heart of all Artisan’s developments is building a strong sense of place,” continues Clive Wilding. “We are specialising in niche urban developments in the most exciting parts of the city centre, creating a high-value premium product for a wide range of homebuyers, including young professionals, families and downsizers. 

“Artisan now has an opportunity set a new benchmark for high quality urban regeneration in sensitive city-centre environments – whether it be commercial, residential or mixed-use. Our track record across the UK has given us a strong understanding of the importance of high quality placemaking, which is at the heart of all Artisan’s developments.” 

For more information on Artisan’s commitment to sustainable development across the UK visit: www.artisanrealestate.co.uk