Civic Stone–Kirkgate Square is a project for a new public space in Leith, formed by an ensemble of civic buildings (containing a theatre, a library, social-care offices, and social housing). Through select urban moves, the scheme activates the latent civic quality of 156 Constitution St, reintegrating the site with the city.
The design is interested in the natural theatricality of the city, and seeks to embrace this theatre across scales, from the plan of an apartment to the massing of buildings.
Materially, the project experiments with load-bearing Darney sandstone as a local, low-carbon construction resource. Following research visits to Hutton Stone, the design embraces material unpredictability in an effort to increase quarry efficiency and reduce waste.