Vasilisa Litvinenko

Queen Charlotte Street Social Housing + Civic Space

The project in Edinburgh's Leith area combines social housing with creative spaces for art. Additionally, it has parallel long decks that function as terraces or balconies for the apartment units. These decks are created with specific functions: one faces Queen Charlotte Street and provides a small, private space accessible from the bedroom rooms, while the other, overlooking the courtyard, acts as a more public extension of the living spaces. Both sides include ledges on the stone facade that act as seating areas for rest, reflection, or socialising. The four-story social housing structure has a stone exterior with Palladian rhythms, visually anchoring it to its surroundings. Inside, a timber framework provides for flexible spatial configurations. The ground floor contains communal spaces such as studios, teaching rooms, and exhibition areas, which promote artistic expression and community interaction.

 Central to the project is a courtyard, serving as a focal point.  A fire pit surrounded by seating areas allows residents and visitors to meet, socialise, and kindle connections. Adjacent to the courtyard is the art venue building, which has a Vierendeel truss design that blends in with the existing stone wall on site. The venue is intended as an exhibition place for artwork created in social housing and by the surrounding Leith community. Its pitched roof and expansive windows provide an ideal setting for exhibitions, workshops, and performances, brightened by natural light.