Portobello Commons

Location
Portobello Promenade, Edinburgh

Clients
Community Competitions

Status
Design

Portobello Commons is envisioned as a community-built civic hub for all 31,957 Portobello residents, celebrating local craft, sustainability, and shared activity. At its heart, a cluster of volunteer-constructed wooden cabins—made from locally sourced timber—will provide flexible, low-cost spaces for small businesses, artists, and community groups bringing activity throughout the day. These cabins can adapt seasonally to host pop-ups, markets, or workshops, ensuring that the promenade remains vibrant and welcoming year-round.

The existing toilet block will be refurbished and added to, including improved accessibility, showers, and sheltered seating, creating a more inclusive and comfortable facility for residents and visitors alike. Its reuse avoids unnecessary demolition while breathing new life into a much-needed public amenity.

Anchoring the scheme is a new bandstand—an open, playful structure designed as a stage for performances, gatherings, and civic events. Positioned to embrace the promenade and sea views, it offers a focal point for festivals, music, storytelling, and informal daily use.

Together, these elements form Portobello Commons: a low-carbon, volunteer-driven intervention that extends hospitality, creativity, and social connection. Rooted in local participation and generosity, it reimagines this midpoint of the promenade as a place to pause, to meet, and to celebrate community life.