Oxgangs House

Delivered under the City of Edinburgh Council’s Capital Works Framework, Oxgangs House began as a “fabric right” refurbishment of 36 maisonettes in a single three-storey block that had been marked for demolition. During delivery the brief grew into a whole house retrofit, adding internal works and mechanical and electrical upgrades.

Appointed as Principal Contractor, IRS started with the fabric: re-roofing in tile and felt systems, new windows, external wall insulation (EWI), and insulation to cavity walls, lofts and underfloor areas. As the scope expanded, the work took in internal wall insulation (IWI), new kitchens with updated electrical works, new gas heating systems and external door security systems.

The communal areas were upgraded too: new entrance screens and doors, door entry systems, replacement communal elements, fall prevention barriers, handrails and security screens, and entrance security reconfigured with extended stair platts, through to final stage decoration.

When asbestos was discovered in the shared walkways, IRS sourced specialist removal and re-planned the programme into six distinct phases, coordinating phased resident relocations with the Council to keep disruption to a minimum. IRS also took on additional internal works, so the Council could bring forward planned heating and kitchen installations and make the best use of resources already on site, saving cost and time.