MLA were invited by Murray Estates to be the Masterplan designers for the Edinburgh’s Garden District project. The proposed development site is situated along the west boundary of the capital city, nestled between Hermiston to the east, Juniper Green to the south and Gogar to the north.

The client brief was to create a genuinely sustainable community incorporating a broad range of uses including recreational facilities, employment, 3500 family homes and transport infrastructure. At the heart of the masterplan project is the Calyx, Scotland’s International Garden Showcase venue with further key facilities such as a sports village, regional sports stadium, parklands and canal side recreational facilities.

MLA were commissioned from an early stage to appraise the site and context, develop masterplan concepts and form a series of outline proposals. A full consultant team consisting of landscape architects, engineers, marketing consultants and artists contributed to the masterplan proposals with Michael Laird Architects acting as lead consultant tasked with pulling together a cohesive masterplan design.

Our approach to the design development of the masterplan incorporates a series of design workshop meetings with clients and consultants. Concepts, based on a rigorous site and brief analysis were tested and either adopted or rejected based on a coherent and inclusive team form.