Living

Ocean Terminal

Brief

Bovis Lend Lease appointed Keppie as implementation architect to the project in 1999.  Conran and Partners had developed the conceptual design, however delivery of the project on programme was key.  Within two months of appointment the Client’s brief changed to incorporate a twelve screen multiplex cinema in the heart of the building.  This was a complex and difficult change particularly as construction information was already well into production.  This drew heavily on our coordination skills early in the project.

Response

A thoroughly successful collaboration with Conran and Partners, Keppie led this major Client change from inception to approved detailed design in a very short time frame with no effect on the programmed completion date.  With sixty thousand square metres of retail and leisure space, the project demonstrates a fresh approach to commercial development.  A series of dramatic internal spaces include a three-storey rotunda and a grand hall overlooking the water, offering sweeping panoramic views of the Firth of Forth, the hills of Fife and the Edinburgh skyline.  Ocean Terminal takes advantage of its waterfront setting to create a series of flowing public spaces with a strong sense of place.  The  four hundred metre, three-storey steel-framed building is clad in terracotta tiles, granite, metal, glass and cast stone, materials designed to mellow with age.  French limestone and hardwood floors give a sensual feel to the interior.  A clear pattern of circulation adds to the sense of spaciousness.  Like a ship's hull, the building is long and low, while internal detailing, such as canvas drapes and horizontal balustrading, makes subtle maritime reference to cruise liners of the early twentieth century.

Outcome

The centre is a buzzing commercial complex and has been a key factor in the regeneration of Edinburgh's waterfront.  With a cosmopolitan mix of retailers, quayside restaurants, bars, cinemas and entertainment venues, along with the iconic former Royal Yacht Britannia and visitor centre, boosting the centre’s role as a major tourist destination, is unquestionable.

Team