This small mews development on the southside of Edinburgh is on a challenging triangular site accessed through a narrow pend, currently occupied by a block of flats and a garage. Four townhouses and a house are organised around a central courtyard, which acts as a communal amenity space for residents, whilst incorporating access for the individual houses. Each of the mews houses has been designed to have an integral garage and a roof terrace, orientated into the courtyard and to the open views to the west. 

The single house is a storey lower than the mews block to maximise sunlight onto the site, minimising the impact of the development to the tenement block to the north. The placement of the house, away from the mews block, allows the central court to become a focus for all of the dwellings in the development, and also opens up views through the site from surrounding tenements. 

Sustainability has been a strong element throughout the design process and it is intended that the properties be super efficient, incorporating a degree of onsite energy generation. This small collection of family houses is to be a development with a sense of character and community that strengthens and enhances the local area.