ECA estates development

Major work has begun to upgrade and refurbish Edinburgh College of Art’s Main Building and Lauriston Architecture Building.

A six-year, phased project will improve and perform essential maintenance on the buildings’ fabric, heating, plumbing and wiring systems.

The project will also bring a major new space in the west side of the Main Building into use. The updated spaces will be equipped with audio and visual facilities.

Cohesive community

ECA activity will eventually be concentrated between the Lauriston Place campus and the George Square area, allowing for the eventual decommissioning of functionally unsuitable buildings in Chambers Street and Nicolson Square.

It is envisioned that gathering ECA on two sites will engender and encourage increased cohesion and cross-disciplinary activity.

Staggered moves

Over the next six years staff and students will be relocated around ECA’s current locations in a staggered series of moves, ensuring minimal disruption to research, teaching and learning.

The first move will see postgraduate research students relocate from the Hunter Building and Forrest Hill to a newly refurbished study space on the fifth floor of Evolution House this summer.

By summer 2015, History of Art will have moved from Minto House to the Hunter Building and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture will be preparing to move from Lauriston Place to Adam House and Minto House in Chambers Street.

Staff and students from the School of Art based in the north side of the Main Building will also move into the vacated Lauriston Architecture Building studios next summer.

Detailed information

Staff and students directly involved will be informed in more detail of practicalities as their part of the process approaches.

A works timetable, videos, architectural drawings and progress updates are available on ECA’s estates development webpages.