Edinburgh decisions

This morning, having dropped the young 'un at the museum for his 4th visit to the Game Masters exhibition, my fellow director and I headed for the Old Royal High School to take a look at the information being presented at the Public Consultation about the plans for the redevelopment of this mouldering building.

It gave me cause for thought.  It's not as solid a structure as its external appearance might suggest.  There are various rooflights throughout the building which are now leaking and many parts of the building have deteriorated.  It was built back in the early 1800s and last occupied as a school in 1968.

The windows of the building are to the back and the front face (where the views are) have few windows - all at a high level in the roof lights.  

It got me wondering about whether there was real merit in keeping the building at all, even though it is an example of a Georgian architect creating a Greek revival building - seen by some as the finest example of this period. It's going to be a difficult conversion, involving the probable demolition of the buildings around it which do not have such architectural significance.  If a hotel is to be created within it, there will have to be compromises in the aspects retained over the amenities of the hotel and part of that will involve making window openings in the front of the building to give access to the views over the city and beyond to the Pentland Hills.  I don't know if a conversion is the best solution.