Today was announced the team led by wHY as the winner of the Ross Pavilion Iinternational contest to design a € 27,97 million visitor centre and performance space in West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. The team beat out proposals from other teams as Adjaye Associates, BIG, Flanagan Lawrence, Page\Park Architects, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter and William Matthews Associates + Sou Fujimoto Architects.
“[wHY] demonstrated an impressive collaboration which respects and enhances the historical context and backdrop of the Castle and the City, whilst creating new heritage and increasing the green space within the Gardens. All of which were key aspects for us all and respected the importance of the space within a World Heritage Site,” said Norman Springford, Competition Jury Chair.
The scheme drew inspiration for the geology and history of the gardens, embedding the sculptural seating bowl into the earth and allowing the historic Edinburgh Castle to persist as the main focal point of the site. According to the architects, the proposal revolves around “human scale with moments of drama... activating four layers of meaning within the Gardens: botanical, civic, commemorative and cultural.”
“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,” said Kulapat Yantrasast, Founder and Creative Director of wHY.
