Eight Aberdeen multi-storey flats given listed status

HES has listed Gilcomstoun Land, Porthill Court, Seamount Court, Virginia Court, Marischal Court, Thistle Court, Hutcheon Court, and Greig Court in the city centre, at Category A, meaning they are of outstanding importance.

The towers have dominated the sky line of the Granite City for 60 years, telling a story of post war Aberdeen.

They were designed by the Aberdeen City Architects Department, under the supervision of George McIntosh Keith, Chief Architect for the city of Aberdeen. Most buildings of this type were factory-made system-built schemes and Aberdeen unusually took a different approach which involved innovative town planning and high-quality individual designs by their own architects.

Elizabeth McCrone, Head of Designations at HES, said:

“The Aberdeen flats tell us much about how the city and its architects responded to the challenges of housing large amounts of people in the city centre during the 1960s - a time of relative prosperity, low unemployment and optimism for the future.

“By designating and building these flats the Aberdeen City Architects Department were at the cutting edge of new thinking about town planning and housing. These buildings were very carefully designed and used superior materials to many of the less-successful types of multi-storey housing of this era which have now been demolished.

“Listing doesn’t mean that a structure has to stay the same forever or remain in its original use. Rather, it means that there is a special interest that should be taken into account in the planning process.

“Exceptional architecture has always been built in Scotland and the Aberdeen flats should be celebrated as a key part of our 20th century heritage, which help us understand the ambitions and aspirations of the city at that time.”

The proposal to list the buildings came from Miles Glendinning, a professor of modern architecture who was contacted by residents.

Professor Glendinning said:

“I’m a great admirer of the Granite City, and these buildings fit into its fabric, both in material (using granite in their construction) and in how they’ve been built into the historic and modern urban pattern.

“In architectural terms, these buildings stand out because architecturally and socially, they are a continuation of the civic-mindedness and pride of previous generations of great Aberdonians. They are also a social success, which for me is just as important as the architectural interest.”

Local MSP Kevin Stewart has blasted the decision, calling it 'ludicrous' and 'appalling'.

Writing in a letter to HES he said:

"This decision will likely impede future energy efficiency measures and district heating installation in the flats meaning the people who live there will face higher energy bills or suffer all the detriments of a poorly heated home. Similarly, any sort of remedial or refurbishment works will now be made much more difficult and more expensive as a result of this decision."

"In one A listed building in Aberdeen, Rosemount Square, water ingress from the windows and into the homes of the people who live there has been a constant issue for years with the windows in dire need of replacement and works carried out. However, due to the A listed status of the building, the tenants have been forced to put up with delay after delay as the dampness and mould takes hold."

"Was any consideration given to the people who actually live in these homes or did Historic Environment Scotland only consider the rather questionable benefit to special architectural and historical interest?"

"Beyond that, why was it necessary to list all eight buildings? Why not just list one? Albeit this would cause severe difficulties and hardship to the tenants of that single building, but at least the burden would be lessoned on the thousands of people now impacted."

"This is the exactly the type of issue that the tenants of these eight multi-storey buildings now face because of your decision to award A listed status."