A group of 100 engineering students from Heriot-Watt University have been given a glimpse of real life on a construction site after visiting Edinburgh landmark development Quartermile.

The students, all in their first year of a degree in civil or structural engineering, visited the site as part of their course and to experience a genuine engineering environment.

Quartermile construction manager, Alan Laidlaw, gave the students a tour of the latest phase of development at the £500m mixed-use development – Quartermile Four. Work began on the seven-storey office building in July and once complete it will comprise 128,600sq ft of Grade A office space.

Students were able to ask a range of questions and learn about the entire development engineering process, helping to put their theoretical studies into context by seeing work in action.

Commenting on the visit, Alan said: “Seeing structural engineering in practice is just as important as the study of it in a classroom. These students are the potential engineers of the future and we hope that by giving them some insight into construction at a development as vast and significant as Quartermile we were able to help them to see how engineering is put into practice.”

Quartermile enjoys an unrivalled location in the heart of the city, this award-winning mixed-use development comprises a stylish collection of luxury apartments that exude style and quality along with prestigious office and retail space.

Student, Kyle Marshall, said: “The visit to Quartermile was a fascinating first site visit with my Civil Engineering course. It was very insightful seeing different aspects of this construction, right from the foundations up to the finished apartment."

Located on Lauriston Place and neighbouring the University of Edinburgh, Quartermile blends historical conversion properties with striking new build apartments. The development is fast becoming a lively community and the first choice for many as a place to live, work and relax.

Dr. Pauline Thompson, course leader at Heriot-Watt University added: “We were thrilled to have been given the opportunity to take our first year students to such a prestigious development as Quartermile. Visits like this are vital in the learning process as they allow students to put their studies into context, see the real life challenges engineers face and to start to think about the variety of engineering job roles that exist for them once they graduate.”

Once complete, Quartermile will comprise over 900 apartments, in the excess of 350,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation, 65,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space and seven acres of open landscaping. The development is expected to be completed in 2018.