Architect firm's outlook a blueprint for success

But this success throws up a number of challenges, especially for developers and architects trying to create new office space while retaining the Capital’s unique landscape.

Mark Fresson, a partner in the Edinburgh office of architecture firm Parr Partnership, says he believes planners in the city are learning to embrace the new.

"If the design is good, you will get a positive response, and developers increasingly appreciate good design as it’s seen as a marketing tool.

"You just need to look at some of the housing that’s going up in Edinburgh and Glasgow at the moment - it’s all about selling a lifestyle."

He adds: "Generally, the planning system is a healthy thing to have, especially in a city as precious as Edinburgh.

"There’s still plenty of scope for doing some great architecture."

The Parr Partnership has eight partners and around 100 staff, of whom around 20 are based in Edinburgh.

"We have a great location out at Roseburn, which is very handy for the city centre and great for the rugby," Mr Fresson laughs.

The firm was founded in Dundee around 50 years ago, and the Capital office opened in 1981. It also has a presence in Glasgow, Greenock, Birmingham and Gateshead.

"Obviously, Scotland’s only a certain size, and the population is much greater further south, and we now see ourselves as a national firm, in the British sense," says Mr Fresson. "Most of the workload is still in Scotland, but increasingly for our nationwide clients it’s important that we have this geographic spread."

One such client is airports owner BAA, which recently named Parr as one of five architectural firms to support its capital investment programme across its seven UK airports over the next five years.

BAA is planning to spend 8.4 billion at its three London airports alone over an 11-year period, while in Scotland the group’s airport infrastructure will benefit from 500 million of investment.

Over the next two years, BAA will spend the equivalent of 1m a week in Scotland, at no cost to taxpayers.

Fellow partner Hugh Dykes says Parr’s proven track record in aviation projects was "vital" to its success in being chosen as one of BAA’s architectural partners, as the firm has already completed major projects at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham airports. Elsewhere, current projects include the development of proposals for Scottish Television’s new headquarters in Glasgow, on behalf of Pacific Quay Developments - a joint venture between Miller Developments, CTP and Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster’s property firm.

Scottish Television’s move, to purpose-built studios on Glasgow’s Clydeside by 2006, will end nearly 50 years of programming at Cowcaddens.

BBC Scotland has also lodged a detailed planning application to Glasgow City Council to develop its new digital broadcasting centre at Pacific Quay, and the broadcaster says the move is an "important and exciting" step forward in the development of the entire site.

Parr has also been appointed by Perth College to design a 2.5m campus link building, which will house a new student centre with social and recreational facilities. Construction work is expected to be completed in time for the 2005 intake of students.

Mr Fresson says Parr, which also designed the 200m semiconductor manufacturing facility for Hyundai at Dunfermline, the 150m NEC plant in Livingston and a 10m facility in Rosyth for Lexmark, has "changed direction" in recent years and now deals with a more diverse range of projects.

"We have the expertise to deal not only with airports or factories, but also housing and office developments, so we can cover all the bases," he says.

"There was a period when we did a lot of large plants, but we find the workload is now general, and comes from both public and private sector clients." Parr is currently involved in the national roll-out of new Jobcentre Plus offices for the Department of Work and Pensions, which aims to re-package jobcentres to make them more user-friendly.

Given the firm’s range of clients, Mr Fresson says there is a strong possibility it will open more offices across the UK, and its new Birmingham office could act as a stepping stone to the south of England.

"If we had the workload to justify it, London would be a strong possibility. But there’s a huge population of around ten million people within one hour’s drive of Birmingham, and we definitely see ourselves as a national company nowadays."

While the city may not have a reputation for great architecture, Birmingham has been revitalised by last year’s opening of the new Bullring retail complex, part of a 1bn, 40-acre retail regeneration of the city centre.

"Like many other cities, Birmingham is rediscovering its city centre following many years of people leaving for the suburbs," Mr Fresson says.

"As we get more single person households we’re seeing a reversal of that trend, and that’s taking place in other places like Belfast and Glasgow.

"It’s also part of an increasing awareness of design among the public, and they see this as part of a lifestyle they can buy into."

He also praises cities such as Manchester for taking a "brave step" by reintroducing trams in the early 1990s, and believes their return to Edinburgh would make an "enormous" difference to the Capital.

"The city centre is pretty revitalised anyway, but I think the trams would create the kind of European feel which Manchester has."

But earlier this week it emerged that almost 300 residents have objected to the Capital’s planned tram network.

The project is being spearheaded by Transport Initiatives Edinburgh, the arms-length council firm, and the two lines are estimated to cost 473m.

Last month, transport chiefs also revealed plans for a consultation exercise on a planned third tram route between the city centre and south-east Edinburgh. Increased public transport is a key plank of sustainable planning, in terms of the environmental benefits of reduced car usage in city centres, and Mr Fresson believes more developers are embracing the green approach.

"As a practice we feel we have a responsibility to carry out sustainable projects, and while this was seen as a fringe element around ten years ago, it’s now become a mainstream aspect that clients ask for," he says.

"New regulations are coming in this year that up the ante on the energy front, which means buildings will have to be designed as energy efficiently as possible and maintained as such. This can only be perceived as a good thing."

But sustainability covers far more than solar power and recycling - Mr Fresson says there is a social element, as developers need to consider the social impact of new projects.

"They need to think about introducing local shops if they’re doing a big housing scheme, and this can also lead to changing employment patterns as people find it easier to work from home."