A prominent Edinburgh architect has strongly criticized plans to demolish an 11-story building widely considered one of the city's most unattractive structures. Malcolm Fraser, who founded Malcolm Fraser Architects in 1993, described the proposed demolition of Argyle House as "distressing" after a proposal of application notice (PAN) was submitted to Edinburgh City Council.
The building, located on Castle Terrace near Edinburgh's famous castle, would be transformed into a mixed-use development featuring residential units, hotels, offices, commercial spaces, parking facilities, and landscaped areas under the current plans. Argyle House, constructed between 1966 and 1969, has repeatedly been labeled as one of Edinburgh's least attractive architectural features and is often described as an "eyesore."
In an open letter addressed to politicians, community groups, and city stakeholders, Fraser urged them to view the demolition as "a remarkably retrograde step." The architect, who made his reputation developing bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that redefined Edinburgh's Old Town landscape, has an impressive portfolio including the Scottish Poetry Library, Scottish Storytelling Centre, DanceBase, and Dovecot Studios.
Fraser presented three main arguments against the demolition, emphasizing Argyle House's crucial role in Edinburgh's economy, heritage, and sustainability efforts. The building currently houses CodeBase, one of the United Kingdom's largest startup incubators, along with more than 80 small businesses that employ approximately 900 people. CodeBase, which recently renewed its lease for another year, reported having no advance warning of the demolition plans.
"The strongest part, in many independent economists' views, of Edinburgh and Scotland's economy is the unheralded and self-generated tech and crafts infrastructure - teccy start-ups, crafts daubers, fiddlers and dreamers - occupying cheap space and doing the real innovation, and generating the innovative jobs, that government always begs for," Fraser wrote in his letter. He noted that Argyle House has nurtured two "unicorn" companies, meaning businesses now valued at over one billion dollars.
Fraser questioned the wisdom of displacing these innovative businesses, asking, "Do we really think it's progress to put them out onto the street for more hotels and executive flats?" He defended the building as "a distinguished and modernist building" in a city that he believes continues to erase its recent architectural heritage.
Describing the building's architectural merits, Fraser stated, "In its sturdy, gray monumentality, it is characteristically Edinburgh; and in placemaking it does a nice thing in stepping back from the tight junction at the head of West Port, a move that Patrick Geddes, doyen of town planning and Edinburgh hero, would have surely approved, given his adage of letting some light in." He even recalled Edinburgh taxi drivers who "praised the building to the skies."
From an environmental perspective, Fraser condemned the demolition as wasteful and harmful to climate goals. "It is madness, given the seriousness of the climate emergency and the ocean of waste that we condemn to landfill, to knock down a sturdy, solid and useful building, condemning huge amounts of embodied carbon," he argued.
The controversial building was sold to US firm PGIM Real Estate for approximately $47 million in 2023. Despite its reputation as an eyesore, Argyle House has gained some cultural recognition in recent years. The building's annexe at West Port served as a police station in Netflix's "Dept Q," starring Matthew Goode, and also appeared in the television adaptation of Irvine Welsh's "Crime."
Public consultation events regarding the demolition and redevelopment proposals are scheduled to take place at the Edinburgh Futures Institute on December 2 and January 28, giving residents and stakeholders an opportunity to voice their opinions on the controversial plans.
