The Linen Quarter

Pilmuir works, a Category A listed building in Dunfermline, is a former extensive damask linen factory and warehouse complex. Over the next few years, this site will be transformed into a vibrant new residential area called the Linen Quarter, seamlessly blending of the old with the new.

Date

Due 2022

Client

Byzantian

Value

Undisclosed

The proposed redevelopment of the Pilmuir Works site will transform the disused factory buildings into an attractive new residential development that will sensitively preserve, restore and convert the existing buildings and introduce new contemporary forms that complement the existing Category A listed Pilmuir Works.

The main factory buildings were built between 1883-1901 and the site also incorporates earlier buildings from 1816 and 1847. Since 2005 when production ceased, the factory which commands a prominent site in Dunfermline on a major transport artery, has been left dormant and has fallen into a state of disrepair.

The most prominent aspect of the existing Pilmuir Works is the 28-bay, 3 storey Italianate warehouse that faces on to Pilmuir Street. We intend to retain these facades, only making minor interventions to better suit the structure’s redevelopment to its future residential use. The engine house and chimney stack will also be retained and converted for commercial use, creating a new urban square which will invite the public to interact further with the new development.

Existing listed buildings and contemporary additions will be clearly designed through materiality and any new elements will be in keeping with the industrial character of the site, while sitting sympathetically with the existing fabric of stone and brick. Together with the site’s industrial heritage we have chosen to use a modern brick as the predominant new build material. It is also a durable and low-maintenance material that will retain its attractive appearance for a long period of time.

By celebrating and conserving this listed landmark while also allowing the site to be commercially redeveloped we are ensuring that the site does not fall further into decay and begins to once again give back to the community.

Project gallery

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The Challenge

To transform a derelict Linen Factory in the centre of Dunfermline into a new residential community, creating high-quality apartments both new and modern as well as redeveloping the existing Grade A listed structures.

The Solution

A detailed understanding of the site and its important heritage features set the basis from which the designs for the site were developed. Each piece of the site was thought of in terms of its future use and in relation to the existing context and cultural history of the site.

The Outcome

Each new building and element for the site is designed to complement the redeveloped existing heritage thus creating a new residential urban block which re-invigorates an important but neglected site near the heart of Dunfermline.