Edinburgh Airport Plaza

Edinburgh Airport has become the international Gateway to Edinburgh and Scotland. An incremental transformation and modernization to accommodate expansive growth has seen the airport change from a regional hub to an international hotspot including direct flights to and from the USA and Canada. The growth of the airport is directly linked to the success of Edinburgh as a political, financial and above all, cultural centre, increasingly operating on the world stage. The recently completed tramline is yet another milestone to accommodate the transport integration between the airport and its capital city. The newly proposed Airport East Plaza, linking the arrival and departure hall with the tram terminus is an extremely strategic project. Airports are increasingly becoming multi-purpose civic places in their own right and we welcome the idea of a new plaza to give expression to bringing ‘Edinburgh to the Airport’. Most importantly the airport’s slogan ‘where Edinburgh meets the world’ should find its innovative manifestation and creative expression at the newly created East Plaza. A large sculpture EDINBURGH welcomes arriving and departing visitors and allows creative interaction and a photo shot opportunity

The idea of the world is expressed in utilizing the ‘Mercator Projection’ as an iconic pattern for both plaza and canopy structure. The Mercator projection is a cylindrical projection technique to represent the world globe as 2 dimensional map. St Martin’s Square is determined by its topography, the prominent position of St. Martin’s church and the curvilinear building façade of the retail development. A dramatic combination of cascading water walls, reflecting pools, steps, terraces and sculptural trees negotiates the approximately 8 metre level difference. The water feature forms a counterpoint to the new Selfridges building. Illuminated in slowly changing hues of pink, yellow and blue the water sculpture provides a visual spectacle for the cafés around the square. The sequence of different terraces as part of the cascading ensemble of steps and level areas allows for flexible and informal use while the overall configuration could also be utilised as amphitheatre for occasional larger scale events and performances.

The Rotunda Square at the top of Central Street is strategically located at a crossroads of routes. A position celebrated by a dramatic sculptural landmark of three gently swaying ‘light wands’ which match the height of St Martin’s Church spire. Internally lit the wands echo the lighting theme used in the water sculpture in St Martin’s Square to animate the structure at night.