Edinburgh Weaving Centre, Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Conversion of Five-Storey Reservoir Building into Kiltmaking Workshop, Exhibition Centre, Retail Units and Cafe
The conversion of Edinburgh's redundant Victorian water storage tank on The Royal Mile into a Tartan Weaving Centre was originally designed as a competition-winning proposal by Ed Kelly of EKJN in 1995. The competition-winning design included for the insertion of manufacturing, exhibition, retail and dining areas within the five-storey structure, while still maintaining voids throughout the building to allow the full scale of the space to be appreciated by the building's users.
Following this conversion, EKJN have continued to be involved in further alterations as the facility has evolved over the years since. Recent alterations to the building include a new enhanced contemporary entrance from the Royal Mile (completed in 2018), the introduction of additional internal floor areas in upper levels 4 and 5 (completed in 2019), and alterations to the lower levels 1, 2 and 3 to optimise use, enjoyment and accessibility of these spaces. The final phase is due to be complete in 2020.
