wHY Architecture Tapped to Revamp Park at Edinburgh Castle

Today, wHY Architecture was named the winner of the Ross Pavilion International Design Competition for their plans to revitalize Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens, a public park that lies below the imposing outline of Edinburgh Castle. The winning proposal by the U.S.-based firm includes concept designs for a new pavilion, a visitor center and café, and improvements to the park itself, from gracefully arcing walkways and expansive green spaces to increased street accessibility. The design team’s goal was to activate “four layers of meaning within the Gardens: botanical, civic, commemorative and cultural.”

WHY, which recently transformed a Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Los Angeles into the home of the Marciano Art Foundation, was also selected for the respect demonstrated towards the site’s history and geology. Their design embeds a new “butterfly” pavilion and visitor center into the landscape so that the famed Edinburgh Castle will remain the primary visual focus of the area. In a statement released by the jury, which included City of Edinburgh Council CEO Andrew Kerr and Edinburgh World Heritage director Adam Wilkinson, they asserted that wHY’s designs “complemented, but did not compete with, the skyline of the City and the Castle.”

The other finalists for the Ross Pavilion Competition were:

Adjaye Associates
Bjarke Ingels Group
Flanagan Lawrence
Page \ Park Architects, West 8 Landscape Architects and BuroHappold Engineering
Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter
William Matthews Associates , and Sou Fujimoto Architects

All six shortlisted designs were exhibited at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre until July 31st, and can be viewed online here, along with wHY’s winning submission. Construction on the park is set to begin in 2018.

Danielle Cohen is Architectural Record’s summer 2017 ASME intern, where her responsibilities include conducting story and photo research and assisting editors with breaking stories. She is a New York-based student journalist working towards a bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology with a minor in Art History at Wesleyan University. During the academic year, Cohen edits the Arts section of The Wesleyan Argus and writes freelance for New York Magazine and The Wild Honey Pie.