Renewal on Victoria Road: Mixed Used Urban Development in Torry, Aberdeen Part 1 Project 2014 Ross Robinson Robert Gordon University | UK The design sets out to create new shop units, police station, health centre and social housing within the one building on a site on Victoria Road in Torry, Aberdeen. The main focus of my design was to create a transparency at ground level through to the harbour and Aberdeen, which is currently lacking on Victoria Road. The street and consequently the neighbourhood appears cut off from its fishing heritage as the existing buildings block all views to the harbour. Therefore, I propose to maintain a route through to the lane to the north of the site, whilst upgrading the its conditions in order to keep a connection to the harbour views. The café space deliberately has no internal walls, instead having its services (kitchen, toilets, storage etc) in the basement accessible via a circulation core, which creates a clear view through the building to the harbour and beyond. The ground floor plan angles in towards the views, enticing people to come onto the site off of the street. The first floor steps back from the site boundary, creating a differentiation between the privacy of the health centre and the social housing on the floor above. The circulation core is glazed, which also keeps a constant connection between the building and the harbour views. This circulation core would act as a beacon of light that can be viewed from across the river in Aberdeen and be an iconic symbol for the Torry community. The existing immediate urban context has been carefully researched in deciding the proportions for the new design. The proportions of the existing tenements have been considered, with the lintel that was above the previous shop fronts being translated over to my design above the retail units, however stepped down slightly - mimicking the tenements. With plenty of light and ventilation, along with stunning views of the River Dee estuary and a carefully planned layout, this design would become an exciting and inviting space that the people of Torry will be proud to use. Tutor(s)Mr Neil Lamb