Simpson & Brown has been working on behalf of the Royal High School Preservation Trust since 2015; providing multi-disciplinary architectural heritage consultancy, archaeology, and Conservation Architect design services for the transformative reuse, conservation, and restoration of the iconic Thomas Hamilton-designed former Royal High School on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, into the new National Centre for Music. The proposals will provide a sustainable new use for the Category A listed site as a world-class centre for public arts performance and outreach, for the benefit of the whole of Scotland. The architectural proposals are being developed in close collaboration with Richard Murphy Architects. 

Considered to be one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the UK, the 19th century buildings were originally designed as a school and thereafter converted by the PSA for potential use by the Scottish Assembly in the 1970s. The building has lain largely unoccupied since the late 1960s. The main Hamilton building and its flanking West and East Pavilions will be sensitively adapted and upgraded to form the main public performance spaces and accompanying facilities. Original fabric, including the Belvedere tower to the east of the site, will be sensitively conserved and reinstated where previously lost or concealed from public view. A new visitor entrance foyer and visitor facilities will be formed beneath the Great Hall, with improved services and accessibility throughout in order to meet the requirements of 21st Century audiences. The wider grounds will be enhanced through the introduction of a planted landscaping scheme; improving site accessibility, encouraging city centre biodiversity, and in celebration of its iconic position and unique contribution to the character and setting of Edinburgh's UNESCO World Heritage Site.