Royal Observatory Edinburgh — Villas Building

SDE was directly appointed to provide electrical design services for the CAT B refurbishment of the Grade A listed Villas Building at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.

The project involved the introduction of modern office facilities and infrastructure within a sensitive historic environment.

In a Grade A listed interior, almost every electrical decision is also a consent decision. Where cable can be run, what may be chased into or fixed to historic fabric, how luminaires are mounted and where they are positioned, and whether a distribution board can be located in a room at all are all questions answered with the conservation officer rather than around them.

The usual consequence is surface and reversible in place of concealed and permanent, with routes following existing service voids and later interventions wherever they exist — which means the survey has to establish what those are before any distribution strategy is drawn.

Careful consideration was given to preserving the character of the building while delivering a practical and compliant electrical design solution capable of supporting contemporary workplace requirements.