Regeneration

The red sandstone facade of the Waterston Printworks has been a landmark in the Canonmills district of Edinburgh’s New Town for over a century. This much loved, industrial giant has now been rejuvenated by AMA Homes to create an exclusive development of nineteen loft-style apartments.

Waterstons had begun life in the 1700s, making sealing wax for the lawyers, bankers and government officials of the Scottish capital. By the time they moved into their specially commissioned premises on Warriston Road in 1902, the company had expanded into a thriving print business. One major aspect of this business was the printing of bank notes and cheque books. This highly specialised art needed excellent light, a requirement which dictated the design of the northern facade, with its three tiers of large windows.

A new beginning

Waterstons moved to new premises in 2003 and since then AMA Homes have been working with architects and planners to design a development which sympathetically restores this historic building to its former glory: Printhouse. Key to the Printhouse philosophy is remaining true to the integrity of the building. Whist there would have been space to include an extra level, AMA refused to compromise on the floor heights, allowing the large windows to bathe the living rooms in natural light. The ground floor houses secure car parking, with one allocated space for each apartment. To the rear, a landscaped courtyard and garden provides an external communal living space, exclusively for the residents of Printhouse.