Merchiston Castle School, an independent boarding school dating from 1833 (and from 1930 on its current site) enjoys a landscape setting largely unrivalled by other schools in the city.  Historic buildings set in mature parkland, and with extensive views to the city skyline and its wider landscape setting, creates a character of establishment to which many schools would wish to aspire.

h + m were appointed to prepare an overall campus masterplan for the grounds as part of the long term planning for the school, to ensure that the School’s major development aspirations integrated with the site’s existing character and context. The masterplan included zoning for future built development, protecting the settings of historic buildings, landscape design guidelines and landscape management principles for the wider grounds.  A series of ‘mini masterplans’ for a new Sixth Form boarding house and staff housing were prepared, including indicative building locations and footprints, creation of collegiate and other ‘public’ spaces and associated landscape proposals.