An atmospheric urban regeneration project down on the waterfront at Leith in Edinburgh, home to the Royal Yacht Britannia. The location, surrounded by water, posed a number of challenges which the team at GTC was able to overcome, delivering gas, electricity and water connections to the new homes in this development.
Development: Waterfront Plaza, Leith, Edinburgh
Customer: Cala Homes (East) Scotland
Sector: Residential and commercial
Utilities: Electricity, Water and Gas
Waterfront Plaza and the surrounding bars, restaurants and shopping centre, are a fine example of how regeneration projects can transform the older areas of a city to meet the needs of modern, urban living. Located in the sought-after Shore area in Leith, the development consists of 391 homes in a range of configurations from one-bedroom apartments to duplexes and townhouses, all set near or overlooking the water.
The benefits of adopting a multi-utility approach to the procurement and installation of connections for new homes are clearly demonstrated by this project. The developer only needed to deal with one project manager, who co-ordinated and scheduled everything with significant efficiency. GTC Scotland undertook all the trenching for water, gas and electricity at one time with the installation work carried out by its own in-house teams of engineers. Furthermore, the experienced and highly knowledgeable teams were able to undertake all the utility connections to new homes in just one visit resulting in faster and more efficient electricity, gas and water connections.
Whilst presenting a charming view for residents, the site’s location posed significant challenges regarding the installation of the electricity substation. Situated on the site of a historic dock, and adjacent to water, there was a potential risk of flooding of the substation, which required to be mitigated by the careful site design and selection of construction materials.
The potable water network for the development was self-lay connecting into Scottish Water’s network and then adopted by them. Typically, GTC would terminate the network at the valve outside the building, with another contractor responsible for taking the pipework on from there. However, for this project GTC brought the pipework inside to the pump from which water is distributed around the buildings.
Ian Spiers, Engineering Manager, Cala Homes (East) ScotlandWhen procuring prospective MU providers, it was evident GTC were looking to work in partnership with CALA Homes (East). GTC was eager to ensure that the site infrastructure was delivered in line with our build strategy and demanding construction programme, with appropriate resources guaranteed to ensure all these key factors were delivered.”