Argyle House: Award-winning architect outlines vision for Edinburgh 'eyesore'
Award-winning architect Malcolm Fraser has set out how one of Edinburgh’s most controversial “eyesores” could be upgraded instead of being bulldozed.
The owners of Argyle House in Castle Terrace - currently home to tech incubator CodeBase, which has around 80 firms based there - gave notice in November that they planned to demolish the 11-storey office block and redevelop the site for residential, hotel and office use.
Mr Fraser spoke out against the move, arguing it was "madness" to demolish a building which was "sturdy, solid and useful". Argyle House is regarded by many as one of Edinburgh’s ugliest constructions, but Mr Fraser described it as "a distinguished modernist building".
And now he has spelled out how it could be upgraded and improved rather than knocked down. His suggestions include decarbonisation, a “pocket park” and a public route through the building.
Mr Fraser, a director of Edinburgh-based Fraser/Livingstone Architects Ltd, said: “Our championing of the building has begged the question, as to what we'd propose for an upgrade. Our answer is that we don't, necessarily, need to do very much, but that some detail changes would assist with re-presenting the building to the city.”
He said Argyle House should be retained because demolition would represent a waste - of carbon, of the “outstanding Edinburgh architectural history” it represents, and of the 900 tech jobs it nurtures.
He continued: “To those who ask what major work, including net-zero retrofits and big glam upgrades, would we propose, in an ideal world, we point out that a critical aspect of the building and institution's success is that it provides low-rental space for start-ups. Any major refit that translates into a steep rent rise would be self-defeating.
“However, if there was a relatively benevolent owner, willing to invest in some simple upgrades, we would suggest some modest upgrades.”
First on his list are repairs - “Roofs, leaks, etc - sensible, basic stuff.”
Then he proposes decarbonising energy generation - “likely geothermal heat pumps”.
He suggests a “pocket park” in West Port: “Replace the small number of parking spaces to the main entrance front with trees, forming a wee Pocket Park, relieving the claustrophobia the junction (and the owner's new proposals) threatens, with the ‘letting a little sunshine and nature in’.”
And he says, if finance allows, there should be a new public close formed to create a daytime public route through the building, which would be closed at night. He says: “We accept its big, grey townscape has many virtues, but it does block a huge slab of Old Town. A close would link through to the regeneration around King's Stables Road behind, with separate wings of the building entered off it.
“Thereafter, replacement windows, new social hubs and cafes, and general fit-out and energy-saving improvements, would be next on the list - if finance allowed.”
And Mr Fraser added: “There's plenty more we could propose - like additional floorspace to support the funding of this - which we would love to explore, should someone want to commission us.”
Mr Fraser has won awards for many of his projects, including the Scottish Storytelling Centre in the Royal Mile, the nearby Scottish Poetry Library, and Dance Base in the Grassmarket.
Argyle House was designed by Edinburgh architect Michael Laird and completed in 1968. It was used as government offices for a long time and also served as an annexe for Edinburgh Sheriff Court. It has twice achieved stardom, being used as the exterior of the police headquarters in the Neflix series Department Q and in 2023 in a similar role in the TV version of Irvine Welsh’s novel Crime.
Owners PGIM Real Estate submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to the council in November for demolition of the building and redevelopment of the site.