Urban Housing, Old Town Edinburgh Part 1 Project 2001 David Vardy University of Strathclyde | UK The site chosen is surely one of the most challenging in Edinburgh's Old Town. Tpographically demanding, its street frontage with long distant views facing north, contrasts dramatically with the tight, overlooked nature of the south side buried deep into the base of Market Street.The scheme takes its inspiration from the wynds and closes which characterise this part of the capital. Creating a series of narrow frontage and deep plan apartments and exploiting a split section, the resulting elevational treatment mediates between the contrasting heights and architectural characters of the adjoining buildings on either side of this gap site.The result is a bold contextual and contemporary intervention of apartments using the challenging aspects of the site as generators for the main design moves. David has produced a consistently high quality of work in his studio projects throught the year culminating in his second semester main design project of urban housing in Edinburgh's Old Town.As a student he displys a willingness to listen and an ambition to stretch himself with each project.The presentation is sensitively designed using hand-drawn and computer-drawn images as well as physical models. A collage of different scales and drawing views clearly and elegantly illustrate the scheme's qualities in a presentation which is worthy of a competition entry. The resulting work display sensibilities and qualities beyond the level of a student who has just completed his 3rd year in architecture.