The Edinburgh Reporter July 2021

15
City lights
Phase One now open as St James Quarter lights up the east end in spectacular fashion
FOR ST JAMES QUARTER’S debut
photoshoot more than 500 light
fixtures were placed around the
ribbon W Hotel building with
accompanying projections. A
soundtrack featured the work of local
sound designer, Keith Fortune. Senior
Drum Major, Mick Hay from The
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, took
centre stage 55m metres from the
ground, conducting the soundtrack
with the unmistakable sounds of the
drums, as lasers of light travelled
across the city in all directions.
Rochelle Weir, Brand and
Marketing Director at St James
Quarter, said: “We wanted to bring
this feeling to life, connecting with
other landmarks, businesses, and
partners across the city to mark our
opening and cement our place on
the iconic Edinburgh skyline.
“Our phase one opening is a
significant moment in Edinburgh’s
history, and we’re incredibly excited
for the people of Edinburgh and
beyond to see what lies behind the
Quarter. The light display was just
the beginning.”
The final crane came down only a
month or so before the opening after
five years as part of our city skyline.
There were at one stage 13 cranes
working on the project and the red
lights from the cranes created their
own lightshow before the
development was completed. It took
17,378 tonnes of steel and an
estimated 2.835 million working
hours to create the new destination.
St James Quarter is Edinburgh’s
largest development in a generation.
A new 1.7 million sq ft masterplan in
urban placemaking, it comprises
850,000 square feet of retail space.
The development is designed to
complement the luxury shopping at
Harvey Nichols, on Multrees Walk.
Completing the city centre’s
retail circuit, it will also be home to
John Lewis, Everyman Cinema,
a mix of new restaurants, cafés and
bars, Scotland’s first W Hotel –
W Edinburgh. The hotel has 244
stylish guestrooms, a destination bar,
outdoor terrace, signature restaurant,
chef’s table, and an AWAY® Spa,
luxury aparthotel brand Roomzzz,
with 75 rooms.
New Eidyn residences will
provide 152 premium apartments
with “exceptional amenities”,
by developers Native Land, nine
new public squares and 1,600 car
parking spaces.
Ian Georgeson