The Johnnie Walker Experience
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LocationEdinburgh
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ClientDiageo
Introduction
The Johnnie Walker Experience is a landmark visitor attraction on Princes Street, Edinburgh, delivering a fully immersive and interactive journey through the history, craft and global brand of Johnnie Walker whisky within a highly sensitive listed building.
Gallery
Background
The attraction is housed within a converted Grade A listed 1920s department store, originally constructed as a bank and later subject to numerous historic alterations. The refurbishment and change of use created approximately 71,500 ft² of visitor, retail, hospitality and experiential space, including bars, restaurants, performance sets, archive rooms and bottle libraries, while preserving the building’s historic character.
Challenges
The project presented significant technical and planning challenges, including accommodating complex MEP and AV requirements within a tightly constrained listed structure. Extensive remodelling of floor plates was required to introduce new feature stairs, lifts and circulation routes, alongside the integration of modern services without impacting protected architectural elements.
Solutions
A new roof-level storey was introduced to house plant and create the iconic ‘World Bar’, minimising disruption to historic fabric. The building was designed as an all-electric, low-carbon solution using high-efficiency reversible heat pumps for heating and cooling, achieving energy performance below typical benchmarks. The completed project welcomes over 1.5 million visitors annually and has achieved BREEAM Outstanding, LEED Platinum, and the 2022 Edinburgh Architectural Association Regeneration/Conservation Award.
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