Silverlea is a 145-home social and mid-market housing development in central Edinburgh, being delivered by Cruden with Donaldson Timber Systems providing the timber frame. The scheme includes multiple flatted and colony blocks – plus a community sports pavilion for Craigroyston Community Youth Football Club – and the project team says tight green zone constraints pushed the build towards an offsite-first approach.
Alpha open panels used across 10 residential blocks
Donaldson manufactured and supplied all 145 units using its Alpha open panel build system, covering five four-storey blocks of flats, four three-storey colony blocks and one three-storey block. Robert McLean led on design and said the original tender solution carried a risk of structural movement showing through in finishes: “The original tender design specified beams within every floor to support joists at multiple locations. However, this meant the beams could create concentrated point loads accumulating down through the structure, which was likely to lead to accelerated movement and visible damage to ceiling and wall finishes over time.”
Design changes aimed to reduce point loads and simplify the roof build-up
The team proposed extending beams at each level to spread loads and limit potential remedial work. McLean also said: “We proposed simplifying the design,” and added: “Our suggestion was to use uniform panel heights, form the fall with firrings, and design the roof joist layout to accommodate the MVHR ducting with factory-formed apertures through the joists and pre-fitted steel hole formers where structurally required.”
Single-crane erection plan targets speed on constrained site
With mature trees retained and crane bases restricted, Donaldson used a Spierings AT4 mobile tower crane lifting from block gables, handling 1.7 tonnes at a 48-metre radius. To help balance added crane cost, deliveries were fast-tracked so floors and walls arrived the same day. Five floor cassette sets and five wall panel sets were erected with a single crane, then the approach was repeated across all six blocks. Weekly coordination meetings supported sequencing, with each level completed in three days.
Alex Goodfellow, CEO of Donaldson Offsite, said: “At Donaldson Timber Systems, we’ve been building homes for over 50 years, so we really understand the capabilities of timber frame and the needs of our clients. We bring this experience to every project, incorporating efficiencies and bespoke solutions to achieve exceptional results.”
Colin Kennedy at Cruden added: “We’re thrilled to partner with Donaldson Timber Systems on this Edinburgh project. They have a deep understanding of the complexities we faced, and we trust their expertise to deliver an outstanding result. Our aim was to progress at speed, and their experience in delivering at pace, combined with their capacity has been invaluable in helping us meet our programme targets. Having collaborated with them on multiple projects before, we know that their professional approach and ability to add real value make them an exceptional partner.”
