We recently had a chance to explore the Scottish Highlands, starting and ending with a few sightseeing days in Edinburgh, and our time wandering around this city did not disappoint. Our favourite part was the tenements, otherwise known as row houses to us here in North America, and the effect they have on the streetscape is something we have thought about since returning home.

What draws us to them is how regal they feel at street level. The consistency of the facades and the repetition of the bay windows, rooflines, and chimneys give the streetscape a sense of organization that feels cohesively planned. As you walk around more and more, you come to realize that almost any street lined with these tenements surrounds you with their classic character. There is no single building carrying the weight of the impression, it is a culmination of every unique facade in sight.

Edinburgh was originally built within the confines of the Flodden Wall, a defensive fortification built in 1513 following the Battle of Flodden, which left so little room to expand outward that residents simply began building upward. Given the constraints of the land, it made far more sense to add another storey than to find new ground. The result is a city of tall, narrow buildings stacked with a density that somehow feels intentional rather than cramped. What started as a response to scarcity became, over time, a coherent design language, because when the materials, proportions, and details all answer to the same set of conditions, the result tends to feel inevitable in the best possible way.

The chimneys were one of our favourite parts of exploring this city. Rows of clay chimney pots line the rooftops in a way that is entirely utilitarian in origin yet produces one of the most charming silhouettes we have seen in any city. The materiality of fired clay against dark sandstone is a combination that feels both rustic and refined, and it is the kind of detail that only reveals itself when you look up.

Jesse draws from experiences like this constantly. The idea that repetition creates feelings of cohesion within a streetscape, the relationship between the height of these buildings and the length of the streets they are set on, and the use of noble materials to create distinct design features through a consistent silhouette are all things that pique his interest. Trips like this one serve as a reminder of the importance of travel.