Project: St Andrew Square, Edinburgh (2638)
Client: The City of Edinburgh Council
Client: Edinburgh City Centre Management Company
Client: Land Engineering Ltd
Architect: Gillespies
Description: Design and build of mirror pool
Project Description:
Constructed in 1772, St Andrew Square sits centrally between Princes Street and Queen Street in the heart of Edinburgh. The square was redesigned around the Melville Monument and the works included the addition of a crescent shaped mirror pool.
Challenge:
St Andrew Square, Edinburgh was a sensitive commission with it being a World Heritage Site.
Success:
Ustigate designed and installed the crescent shaped mirror pool.
The crescent shaped mirror pool weirs over the concave edge into a stainless steel collection channel below, creating surface tension that results in a beautiful reflective surface capturing the magnificent architecture that surrounds St Andrew Square.
To minimise costs, Ustigate designed and built a subterranean plant room below the surface in the adjacent pathway, with a finish to match the surrounding paving. The recirculation system was designed to fit inside the chamber and the electrical control panel was installed nearby.
St Andrew Square is one of the most prestigious and successful visitor destinations in Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage New Town and it is enhanced by a carefully designed and executed landscape and architectural upgrade by Gillespies.
We thank John Berwick for his video featuring the changing reflections of St Andrew Square and its surroundings, cast from the mirror pool.
