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Speculative Glasgow office block goes in for planning

January 20 2014

Speculative Glasgow office block goes in for planning
Titan Investors have submitted plans to build a speculative £17.5m office block at 20 Cadogan Street, Glasgow, offering sq/ft of grade A accommodation designed by Cooper Cromar and Woolgar Hunter.

Adopting a vertical ‘supergrid’ façade of curtain wall glazing and white masonry panels the scheme would replace two existing disused office buildings with a single block which have been deemed unsuitable for re-use.

In their design statement Cooper Cromar said: “The proposed development adopts a restrained contemporary architectural approach and will therefore provide a new sense of scale, order and rigour in this specific urban context.

“The proposed supergrid architectural form results in a built form with a legible base, middle and upper floor treatment. The two storey base provides a strong urban streetscape. This two storey module is then continued over the upper floors of the building to provide a sense of scale. The elevational treatment to the top two floors intensifies to provide a distinct top to the building.”
It is hoped the building will attain a BREEAM 'Very Good' and EPC 'A' rating
It is hoped the building will attain a BREEAM 'Very Good' and EPC 'A' rating
The 'obsolete' blue glass office block is a copy of a a copy of a block on Lower Thames Street, London
The 'obsolete' blue glass office block is a copy of a a copy of a block on Lower Thames Street, London

8 Comments

Alf
#1 Posted by Alf on 20 Jan 2014 at 14:18 PM
Looks like a similar block currently being built at West Nile street.... Architecture seems to have come full circle from the 60s monoliths that were rattled up.
Wonky
#2 Posted by Wonky on 20 Jan 2014 at 16:47 PM
I think it's a bit disingenuous to describe this development as 'Monolith'- it has neither the style nor the concrete materiality of Brutalism.
My only concern is the location: why build on an already perfectly acceptable site? Why not build this in one of the numerous gap sites spotted in/around Argyle Street?
neilius
#3 Posted by neilius on 20 Jan 2014 at 20:32 PM
I see no reason to object - no worse and no better than the banal buildings around it - or indeed the one it's replacing.
I C Ital
#4 Posted by I C Ital on 21 Jan 2014 at 11:56 AM
It looks identical to the Ryder bloch on the old Odeon site, unremarkable in itself, I wonder if Cooper Cromar and Ryder are considering a merger....
Enjoy
#5 Posted by Enjoy on 21 Jan 2014 at 13:18 PM
Meh! They are not even trying. Very derivative of work by others like Eric Parry and Chipperfield. But with less style and flair
rmg
#6 Posted by rmg on 21 Jan 2014 at 14:22 PM
well done c-yder
Pleasantfield
#7 Posted by Pleasantfield on 21 Jan 2014 at 14:33 PM
Another faceless design to merge with the mainly faceless designs surrounding it. When oh when are we going to up our game in Glasgow and why white .There is very little evidence "white" fits in to the surrounding townscape.Look at the aerial photo , where is there a prevailing white character.
Stephen
#8 Posted by Stephen on 24 Jan 2014 at 11:42 AM
Come on Wonky (#2); it's just possible the client doesn't actually own the gap-sites you mention (?!) - but they do own this one!
Agree it looks just like Ryder's Odeon...which looks just like Reiach and Hall's City of Glasgow College...which looks just like NORD's Royal Exchange Hotel...

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