Market Street Hotel, Edinburgh

jmarchitects were required to provide a design solution for this compact urban site which resolved numerous technical and contextual challenges including: the dramatic topography of the site; existing escape routes and services; enhancement of adjoining public spaces; mitigation of road noise; gaining full advantage of the superb views from the site and integrating sensitively into the Old Town roofscape whilst protecting the historic Edinburgh skyline.

A folded roofscape of dark whinstone gives shelter to the top floor ‘executive lounge’, a facility open to all guests which is housed within the hotel’s carefully sculpted attic storey. The lounge and associated external roof terraces enjoy panoramic views across the Waverley Valley to the New Town. The north and west elevations of the hotel will be clad with the traditional materials of sandstone and whinstone with the courtyard elevation to the south adopting white brick; as is common in the old town, to bring light down into the landscaped courtyard gardens below.