Edinburgh Napier students go behind the scenes at Royal High School restoration

The Napier students on site with members of the RHSPT team and Robertson Group representatives.

Engineering students from Edinburgh Napier University went behind the scenes at the £70 million project to restore Edinburgh’s former Royal High School, as part of a new partnership with the Royal High School Preservation Trust (RHSPT).

Twenty students visited the historic Calton Hill building to see first-hand the scale and complexity of the restoration project to preserve and restore Thomas Hamilton’s neo-classical masterpiece and transform it into Scotland’s new National Centre for Music.

On the day, the students were able to see first-hand some of the unique challenges facing engineers and construction teams as they work to restore and adapt the building, including the need to work with and around the ancient bedrock of Calton Hill into which Hamilton’s original design was built.

The new partnership between Edinburgh Napier University and RHSPT is also supported by a legacy gift made through the Edinburgh Napier University Development Trust. The gift comes from the legacy of the late philanthropist Dr Ian Tomlin, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University in 1995 and was known for his love of music and his support for musicians in the early stages of their careers.

Kate Smith, Chief Executive and Development Director of the Royal High School Preservation Trust, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome students from Edinburgh Napier to the site to see the progress being made and hear about the innovative approaches being taken to preserve and restore this extraordinary building.

“The students were able to learn about challenges involved in a project of this scale and complexity and how this building will be transformed into a new National Centre for Music.

“We are also delighted to receive this legacy gift through our new partnership with Edinburgh Napier University, a university known for its strong, industry-focused music programme, breadth of specialisms and strong links to Scotland’s professional music scene.”

Thanking the RHSPT and Robertson Group for the visit, Professor Zack Moir, Professor of Music at Edinburgh Napier University, said: "This is a really exciting project for us because it allows us to work with the Royal High School Preservation Trust and the National Centre of Music, to have an ongoing relationship with the building and project, and be part of such an exciting venture for the city. We have been able to do this through the bequest of Dr Ian Tomlin, to support performance and ongoing music education for students at Edinburgh Napier - in addition to the support he offered throughout his life. It really gives our students the opportunity to be part of the cultural fabric of Edinburgh.”

The group of Civil Engineering students also found the opportunity ‘priceless’, as they gained insight into a unique project which poses a range of unique challenges.

Riona Sorianosos (20) said: “When I heard we were doing a site visit I thought we would be viewing things from afar, but to actually get down amongst the works and see what they are doing up close was really valuable. So was hearing about the way they have had to adapt to the building and the landscape, bringing in mini-excavators and equipment that can fit through the doors and how all of this equipment runs electrically on site.”

Kyle Forgan (20) continued: “I have never been to a site this big before and to see it in-depth was really quite breathtaking. It was really interesting to talk through the challenges of working on a listed, protected building of this size and scale and hear the roadblocks that have appeared on the way and how efficiently they have been handled.”

Julia Krzeszewska (21) added: “Hearing about how they have adapted during the course of the build was very valuable, as was seeing the excavations up close. It is one thing hearing about something in a lecture or learning about it in a book but actually seeing it, especially in a unique design like this, one that they have had to work around, has been really special.”