The £2.1m project, for IQ Student Accommodation, involves the adaptation of a Category A-listed townhouse designed in 1820 by WH Playfair as part of Edinburgh’s Eastern New Town.  The building, which extends over six floors, will undergo structural alterations to create links to IQ’s existing accommodation in the adjoining Elliott House.

The 32-week construction programme will also entail sympathetic internal remodelling to create 14 student living units, communal space, study areas, a fitness facility and staff offices.  Overall capacity will be increased by 20% and the works will also improve accessibility for disabled users in both buildings.

This appointment further enhances our reputation in this fast-growing sector.  It adds to a portfolio of work that stretches from the recently completed £7.5m refurbishment project at Holland House for the University of Edinburgh, to a £5m student accommodation project currently on site in central London, where we are managing the refurbishment of the iconic William Booth College, designed by renowned architect Giles Gilbert Scott.

A number of existing features including ornate cast iron structural frames and vaulted brick ceilings were painstakingly restored to their original condition while other components such as windows and roof coverings were sympathetically renewed in line with the building’s listed status.

Incorporating and exposing these features in combination with modern elements such as exposed M&E services has created a stunning aesthetic that is both appropriate to a chic, modern hotel and accurately reflective of the building’s industrial heritage. As a measure of the project’s success, within weeks of its opening, Hotel Indigo received the accolade of Scotland’s best hotel in the Sunday Times definitive guide.

Dobbies’ significant investment comprises  a multi-phase project involving  extensive alterations and refurbishment of their 70,000 sqft flagship centre outside Edinburgh, where the Sharkey team will be working 24/7 to ensure the garden centre remains fully operational at all times.

Dobbies has more than 30 stores across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. Sharkey has been working in the retail sector since the company was founded and clients in recent years include Tesco, Boots, Arcadia and a number of the UK’s leading high street banks.