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10, Nicholson Street Refurbishment for Edinvar Housing Association

Brief

Gaia carried out a feasibility study for Edinvar Housing Association looking into the possibility of achieving a "State of the art" green refurbishment exploring the twin areas of Refurbishment and Ecological Design, in particular with regard to listed buildings where planning constraints are onerous. The project - the refurbishment of a listed tenement in central Edinburgh - is about to progress to planning and building warrant stage.

Design

The proposed refurbishment considers community aspects, amenity (particularly poignant for a building that provides no access to external space), energy conservation, water conservation, healthy indoor climate, healthy Materials, reuse and recycling, and an approach to the construction process which deals with the logistics of building sustainably on a tight site

Materials

Only benign materials will be used in the refurbishment that places its emphasis on the creation of a healthy indoor climate. Materials with hydroscopic properties will be specified in order to aid moisture management and combat moulds and mites. Specification and details will be refined as required following the results of Gaia's research project into low allergen/trigger environments at Fairfield Toll House Gardens.