2020 Scottish Home Awards Winner - Apartment Development of the Year, The Playfair at Donaldson's

Apartment Development of the Year

The Playfair at Donaldson’s has won Apartment Development of the Year at the Scottish Home Awards 2020. From a large selection of 12 finalists, City & Country was best in class, and secures this prestigious award for the second time.

The judges said they were impressed by the landmark development, which throughout judging this year was hard to ignore. They shared that the development had been very well delivered, showing innovative design done at a high level, considering the constraints of the building and variety of spatial design challenges.

Renowned as one of the most iconic buildings in Edinburgh, The Playfair at Donaldson’s is situated just moments from Haymarket station. The former college is set amidst 18 acres of elegant grounds and is dominated by the central Playfair building: a beautiful quadrangular building, built in the 1840s and designed in the style of an Elizabethan palace.

The striking design is the master work of world-famous architect William Henry Playfair, whose other famous work includes the National Monument and the National Gallery of Scotland. During construction of the palatial building, it is said that The Playfair was deemed so magnificent that, at the time, Queen Victoria would have happily swapped it for the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Over a period of more than four years, City & Country has sensitively restored this majestic building, converting it into a range of outstanding apartments and communal spaces; all within a wonderful landscaped setting. Now, The Playfair offers beautifully restored apartments, with many homes ready to move into. Prices start from £350,000.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DEVELOPMENT