International Business Gateway
A major business led, mixed use city expansion for Edinburgh.
The International Business Gateway masterplan was developed in recognition that business is changing, with flexible organisations and workforces less defined by physical spaces. The proposals define a shift away from standard business park models to create a vibrant, mixed use place that will stay active throughout the day. This placemaking strategy will see business spaces, homes, hotels and education facilities form a new urban environment defined by high-quality green streets, active public spaces and landscapes, framing views of the hills and bridges. Two tram stops give connectivity locally to the city centre and internationally through nearby Edinburgh Airport. With pedestrians and cyclists having priority over vehicles, this will be a place with people at its heart, producing stimulating new settings in which to meet, exchange ideas and do business.
Adopting an integrated approach to placemaking, the public realm strategy responds to the creation of a city extension to Edinburgh in an urban edge context. The public realm and open spaces throughout the development incorporate extensive green infrastructure of parkland, tree avenues, public realm spaces, SUDs features and pocket parks. This approach reinforces the pedestrian and vehicular hierarchy of the masterplan, whilst establishing a distinctive and varied place.