This project was won as a result of a limited competition in 2002 organised by Grampian Housing Association for a site immediately to the north of Union Street in Aberdeen, currently used as a car park. The site, part of the historic origins of Aberdeen, is approximately triangular in shape and fronts onto the extremely busy East North Street. The brief initially called for a variety of flats and accommodation for the Salvation Army but this latter element has now changed to an NHS IDTRS Clinic (Integrated Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Service). The arrangement of the site uses the fall towards East North Street to place the drug rehabilitation centre on the main road with no access to the south, and with the flats above it accessed from a gated communal garden from the south with no access to the north. In such a way, the two population groups will be oblivious to each other's existence, with the exception of two sunken gardens giving light to a patient waiting area and staff areas of the drug rehabilitation unit along its southern boundary.
Curved residential stairwells, accessible from the entry doors on the central courtyard, provide access to the flats and break up the north and west elevations. Clad in translucent glass panels, this will fill the stair drums with light during the day and allow them to glow with internal light at night. The living spaces of most flats face south and east on to the internal garden, which should be an agreeable sheltered micro-climate. A gatehouse design completes the enclosed garden with a roofed entrance at which point there will be entryphone control.
The drug rehabilitation unit is divided into clinical areas to the west and administration to the east, using the natural fall on the site to ensure privacy to all consultation rooms placed along the boundary. Consultation rooms are organised around an open plan waiting area and creche which opens onto a small sunken garden. This idea is repeated in the administrative area.
The principal material of the building envelope is proposed as a semi-polished aggregate concrete facing block which is intended to sit in harmony with the surrounding natural granite of the city. The external elevations demonstrate the split in functions within; at the lowest floor the IDTRS is characterised by panels of dark grey block and blue glazed brick, forming a base for the housing above which is predominantly of a lighter grey semi polished block. A high level clerestory screen of glass and opaque panels sits below the roof edge.
On the courtyard elevations white render is proposed with darker coloured block defining the background of the recessed walls.
The project is currently submitted for planning consent.
