Sustainable construction extends through to the detail of air distribution in Edinburgh’s latest hotel The Resident Edinburgh.
Winner of the Retrofit category at the 2025 Scottish Design Award, the modern venue demonstrates effective re-purposing of a 1950s office building that was no longer fit for purpose in today’s commercial environment with low ceiling heights, multiple columns and cellular layout.
MLA Architects’ design, implemented by Morrison Construction, has delivered 164 bedrooms with reception, lounge and bar across four storeys. Redevelopment instead of demolition and rebuilding has achieved a 40% reduction in embodied carbon emissions.
The sustainability of the project extends further. Building services consultant Rybka specified the use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery throughout, using localised in-room units for the bedrooms and a centralised, basement-level unit for the public spaces. To deliver fresh air and extract the used air, Rybka chose Gilberts’ swirl diffusers and linear bar grilles. The ventilation units are manufactured from 100% mild steel- the most recycled material in the world(*).
Installed by contractor March Engineering, Gilberts’ ventilation units ensure rapid entrainment and intermixing into the space and smooth extraction of used air to maintain a comfortable, draught- and odour-free environment for guests.
Gilberts also supplied the façade and penthouse louvres to supply air for the air conditioning plant.
Explained Barry McKenna, Associate Mechanical Engineer at Rybka and lead consultant on the project:
“The Resident Edinburgh is a great example of how sustainable construction can breathe new life into a building and conserve the essence of a World Heritage Site. Being mindful of the client’s standards of quality and desire to be environmentally responsible, we chose Gilberts to support us on the project. We have always found them to be a manufacturer that guarantees quality and responsive in technical support.”
The Resident Edinburgh is the latest hospitality venue in Scotland’s capital city to benefit from Gilberts’ expertise: the air movement expert is already responsible for the air distribution in Gleneagles Townhouse, the W Hotel and Virgin Edinburgh.
Gilberts has a proven track record in supporting creation of a relaxing, odour-free ambience within hospitality venues beyond Scotland, including Radisson RED, The Social Hub, Premier Inn, Grantley Hall and Carden Park.
All Gilberts’ products- standard lines and bespoke solutions- are designed and developed in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001:2015 quality standard in the company’s state of the art 140,000 ft2 facility in Blackpool. The company has its own state-of-the-art test facility, including an air movement laboratory and specialist CFD and BIM software suites, giving customers unrivalled technical support and specification validation.
Gilberts is also committed to protecting the environment by minimising embodied life cycle carbon in its manufacturing processes, and has achieved Bronze status in the Supply Chain Sustainability School.