The entrance to the left wing of Edinburgh’s old City Chambers have been transformed from a functional office space into luxury serviced apartments with an exclusive concierge service and resident’s lounge as well as an adjoining bar and restaurant.

329 High Street was originally leased from the City of Edinburgh Council in 2019. Today, the newly refurbished 18th-century property, operated by Cheval Residences will act an extension to one of the company’s existing properties, Cheval Old Town Chambers, which is in the medieval closes running from the Royal Mile behind 329 High Street towards Princes Street Gardens.

Developed by the Chris Stewart Group (CSG), 329 High Street has been thoughtfully and sensitively restored, with the interiors blending heritage and existing features with contemporary design.

The converted A listed property will also include a 140-seat ground floor bar and restaurant (also developed by CSG) named Luckenbooths to reflect a row of historic commercial buildings that once existed adjacent to the building – it will be managed by leading Edinburgh-based restaurant group Bon Vivant.

vebroscreed Renovate, from Vebro Polymers, bonded to marine ply and concrete, has been installed by the expert team at Integrated Flooring Technologies (IFT) across the ground floor reception and concourse leading to the bar area and restaurant.

vebroscreed Renovate is a single part, fibre reinforced, cementitious smoothing underlayment screed, incorporating a blend of graded fillers, fine cements, and polymers, with excellent flow properties.

The material is mixed with a cold-water addition to deliver a fine flow slurry that can be both pump and pour applied.

The material has been used to level the existing concrete surface prior to the installation of terrazzo and ceramic tiles, which have been chosen in keeping with the listed building’s new interior scheme. 

Incorporating a specially formulated fibre technology, vebroscreed Renovate aids application and strength resulting in a strong, sound and even base that is ready to commence the tiling process after only 8 hours.

IFT offers clients across Scotland and the North of England a fully integrated flooring service ranging from floor preparation, to screeding and levelling through to installing underfloor heating pipework and seamless resin-based floor toppings.

Founded in 1985 by James Love, IFT has been involved in some of the most prestigious construction projects north of the border including work for National Museums Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service, Edinburgh Airport, Education Scotland, and Macallan Distillery.

IFT have now completed all screeding on site and turned the project over to the tilers, who are on track to complete ahead of building’s opening in a matter of weeks and to coincide with Scotland’s relaxation of international travel restrictions.