THE crumbling Ross Bandstand in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens is to be replaced by what is already being nicknamed the Hobbit House for its resemblance to JRR Tolkien fictional creation.
American architects wHY and their international team of collaborators were yesterday named as the winners of the Ross Pavilion International Design Competition with a “butterfly” design which focuses on the landscape in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle on its rock.
The wHY design – the company’s first major contract of its type in Europe – won the unanimous approval of the jury which included hotelier Norman Springford, the man behind the Ross Development Trust which is funding the £25 million project, former National Museums of Scotland director Mark Jones and writer Alexander McCall Smith.
The five-month competition attracted first-stage submissions from 125 teams made up of 400 firms from 22 different countries. The seven finalists were interviewed last month and the result was announced in Edinburgh yesterday.
A collective based in Los Angeles and New York, wHY’s team included Edinburgh-based design studio Gras, Groves-Raines Architects, Arup, Studio Yann Kersalé, O Street, Stuco, Creative Concern, Noel Kingsbury, Atelier Ten and Lawrence Barth.
According to the statement announcing the winner, the design was “inspired by the gardens’ geology and history – from the volcanic forces to the man-made energy of the Victorian pleasure garden”.
The statement added: “The design subtly positions the new visitor centre and the ‘butterfly’ pavilion into the folds of the landscape, enabling the castle to remain the main visual event.
“The scheme increases the amount of green space relative to hard surfaces within the gardens and is, in the team’s words, ‘human scale with moments of drama … activating four layers of meaning within the gardens: botanical, civic, commemorative and cultural’.
“The jury praised the team’s concept design as ‘a beautiful and intensely appealing proposal that complemented, but did not compete with, the skyline of the city and the castle’.
“They liked the concept of the activated community space with a democratic spirit, potentially creating a new and welcoming focus for the city’s festivals while appreciating that the team’s design balanced this with a strong approach to the smaller, intimate spaces within the wider gardens.”
Springford said: “As is always the case with initiatives of this size and stature, the jury had a hard job.
“We are confident, however, that we have a winning concept that embodies an imaginative ensemble landscape approach, creating a wonderful stage for our iconic Edinburgh Castle.
“In addition, the design concept offers a creative energy and a series of unique elements which will all combine to create a new and contemporary landscape.”
Councillor Donald Wilson, the culture and communities convener of bandstand owners Edinburgh Council, said: “We have seen some of the most influential architects and landscapers join forces to compete to design the new Ross Pavilion.
“The huge international interest in the competition is testament to Edinburgh’s standing as one of the world’s most beautiful and creative settings for live performance.
“All of the shortlisted teams put forward fantastic ideas but wHY’s Butterfly concept received the jury’s collective support.”
Kulapat Yantrasast, founder and creative director of wHY, said: “wHY is built around an ecology of disciplines, the convergence of ideas, experience, nature and people.
“The Ross Pavilion and West Princes Street Gardens represent this convergence and this was the perfect ground to further our approach to design. To be selected from so many extraordinary thinkers is an honour.
“We felt a personal connection to the gardens and believe our design embodies how important collaboration and people are to making a place remarkable.”
Mark Thomann, wHY’s landscape design director, added: “This is a special opportunity for a special place, not just for Edinburgh but the world. The new Ross Pavilion and gardens draw from the rich natural history, heritage and creative spirit of Scotland, embodying a model approach for integrating public architecture and urban space in a top global city.
“Our team looks forward to realising this vision with the Ross Development Trust and the people of Edinburgh.”
The project will now proceed to the planning permission stage, and construction is expected to begin next year.
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