Princes Street Galleries
Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The gallery is located on two levels beneath Princes Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. The first level contains the main retail area and the second primarily accommodates public parking and service zones. Along the entire length of the site a retail backbone ‘street’ runs as an extension of the commercial area behind it. Important features of the project are three open spaces, encouraging and offering room for social activities and allowing them to extend beyond retail hours. The gallery can be accessed directly from Princes Street or from several other entrance points. Occasionally, these voids extend spatially into the second level, allowing public access to the parking and strengthening vertical connections within the gallery. Additional programs are incorporated in the design to encourage a wide range of visitors to the gallery and contribute to entertainment options in Edinburgh.

Country
United Kingdom
City
Edinburgh
Function
Public
Size
2,000 m2
Assigned by
EDI Group Ltd, Edinburgh and MAB Group
Status
Competition in 2002