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£65m George House redevelopment plan ditched

May 23 2011

£65m George House redevelopment plan ditched
Plans to redevelop the 1970s George House on the northern edge of Glasgow’s George Square have been shelved be its owners, Redevco, following the surprise rejection of a Reiach & Hall designed replacement by planners.

This was despite approval being granted for a similarly scaled office development by Cooper Cromar for the G1 developments on the south side of the square.

Instead architects Reiach & Hall have been forced to return to planners with a scheme of vastly reduced ambition, simply giving the existing block a facelift with external alterations to entrance, windows and roof plant.

George Square has become the stub of jokes since GCC redeveloped the historic meeting space with a puddle prone red tarmac finish and failed to replace felled trees.
Critics averred that the replacement wasn't far removed in form from the existing block
Critics averred that the replacement wasn't far removed in form from the existing block
Reiach & Hall envisioned a crystaline cloud element sitting above the main body of the block
Reiach & Hall envisioned a crystaline cloud element sitting above the main body of the block

5 Comments

NC
#1 Posted by NC on 23 May 2011 at 16:23 PM
Such a shame. GCC Planning really need to take a good look at itself. George Square is a pigeon infested traffic island plagued by exhaust fumes whose annual ''high'' is to be dressed up in last year's xmas sweater knitted by grandma. Glasgow really needs it and deserves for it to be so much more!
Stefan
#2 Posted by Stefan on 24 May 2011 at 11:44 AM
The key phrase here is G1 - someone ought to investigate their relationship with GCC
Auntie Nairn
#3 Posted by Auntie Nairn on 24 May 2011 at 13:54 PM
GCC in suspicion of dodgy dealing? - say it ain't so!
Roger Smith
#4 Posted by Roger Smith on 24 May 2011 at 23:14 PM
Often when I see quite unsightly buildings undergoing remodelling/renovation work, I think to myself "well, I suppose they can't make it any worse" and yet I almost always find myself proven wrong. Based on those images this would be no exception...
Sven
#5 Posted by Sven on 1 Jun 2011 at 12:30 PM
The current George House is more attractive than the planned building. The planned building profile from West George Street was very 1970. The glass upper floors very crude. This is the centre of Glasgow, it demands good quality architecture, not some dreadful 1970's pastiche.

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