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Bath Street on the up with 12 storey mixed use plans

August 24 2016

Bath Street on the up with 12 storey mixed use plans
Coleby Investments and Stallan Brand have tabled plans for a significant mixed use development bounded by Sauchiehall, Renfield and Bath Street’s in Glasgow city centre following conclusion of a pre-application consultation.

The 0.46 hectare urban block will be given over to a 12 storey office block fronting Bath Street delivering 13,000sq/m of floor space above a ground floor podium level incorporating entrance and reception spaces as well as an Apple-branded retail outlet.

Through access will also be afforded to a central courtyard faced with dark Whionstone and reclaimed key setts, which will offer access to Sauchiehall Lane as well as connecting to Renfield Street.

Above ground a semi-public sky terrace will introduce a viewing gallery and performance venue.

In a planning statement JLL said: “The proposal is to redevelop what is now a vacant site for multiple uses which will vastly improve the fabric of what is a strategically important urban block.

“New build elements will be incorporated sensitively to Bath Street and Renfield Street and overall there is to be the careful combination of repair, intervention and new build that will usher in a new vision for the whole urban area.”

A separate intervention on Sauchiehall Street will see the existing structure retained and re-clad with the addition of two extra storeys.
A pedestrian focussed courtyard space will occupy the heart of the scheme
A pedestrian focussed courtyard space will occupy the heart of the scheme
The new block will take its height cue from the recently refurbished Apex Hotel
The new block will take its height cue from the recently refurbished Apex Hotel

19 Comments

Fraser
#1 Posted by Fraser on 24 Aug 2016 at 11:50 AM
I like it. The simplicity does it many favours in my opinion. It could be really nice to see more of that trussing they have on the first and second floors. But overall a positive contribution I think.
Fraser
#2 Posted by Fraser on 24 Aug 2016 at 11:59 AM
I also like the through courtyard, although I am not sure of the usage. It could be nice to see the courtyard used for other uses. My only concern is the materiality on sauchiehall street, and that elevation does leave much to be desired, although I cant find a rendered image of this.
David
#3 Posted by David on 24 Aug 2016 at 12:04 PM
Are there any other views? I'm completely sold on this elevation however more concerned about the remainder of the scheme on the other side of this main block.
Partick Bateman
#4 Posted by Partick Bateman on 24 Aug 2016 at 12:27 PM
God that is depressing. Those light fittings stretching off into the distance. Row upon row of buzzing, flickering lights illuminating forlorn keyboard rummaging. The smell of photocopier toner. The wacky colleague. Blank faces. The hell. The sheer hell of it all.

A giant filing cabinet for humans.
MoFlo Bro
#5 Posted by MoFlo Bro on 24 Aug 2016 at 12:35 PM
Forgive the lack of architectural language but it's a bit eh ... big. Oh, and bland. After 1 west regent street this seems to be the new norm. It could do with losing at least four floors, though I'm sure GCC will pass it without much trouble.
For reasons of scale alone I think the Sauchiehall elevation is an improvement on the Bath street one, though I'd like to see the materials used here.
I do like the through courtyard though.
Tam
#6 Posted by Tam on 24 Aug 2016 at 13:33 PM
Modern (but not post-modern) brutalist hell with all thought on money and none on scale.
Cyril Sneer
#7 Posted by Cyril Sneer on 24 Aug 2016 at 13:34 PM
Stallan Bland
A Local Pleb
#8 Posted by A Local Pleb on 24 Aug 2016 at 13:59 PM
Please no, the shear monotony of this beggars belief...the old BHS building is a bit of an eyesore but could the replacement not be a bit more inspired?
Osbert Lancaster
#9 Posted by Osbert Lancaster on 24 Aug 2016 at 15:58 PM
Looks great, no fussing about.
Billy
#10 Posted by Billy on 24 Aug 2016 at 18:37 PM
More of a wind tunnel than courtyard. Will it get any light and hopefully it will not be used as a public lavatory. Better than what's there but it could be any block in any town . I just long for something different. Place some modern art on the roof or winding round it. The architects must get so frustrated when they realise they just can't compete with the beauty of the old Glasgow.
The sheer hell of it all
#11 Posted by The sheer hell of it all on 24 Aug 2016 at 22:16 PM
Of course the sense of and unwitting reference to The Palazzo della Civilta Italiana by Marcello Piacentini is not accidental (just like the viewpoint) - it's the perfect expression of the corporate.

Oh dear.
Charlie_
#12 Posted by Charlie_ on 25 Aug 2016 at 10:28 AM
I think this looks great, the best of Glasgow's recent office builds by far. Stallan brand generally seem to manage to make simple, minimalist stuff strangely beautiful to look it
Cadmonkey
#13 Posted by Cadmonkey on 25 Aug 2016 at 12:10 PM
Make sure there are lots of repetitive details so we just need to get one right - check
Strip off as much modelling from the elevations as possible to keep construction (and design) costs low - check
Push up the height as high as we can without laughing out loud in the office (smirk is OK) - check
Make up some spurious theory for what we have done for a D+A Statement - check
OK that looks fine - Press Submit
Mr Boring
#14 Posted by Mr Boring on 25 Aug 2016 at 14:22 PM
@ #13
Repeat comment - check
Strip out as much encouragement as possible to keep tone of UR low - check
Make up some spurious criticism of others work - check
Ok submit
:)





John Glenday
#15 Posted by John Glenday on 25 Aug 2016 at 14:47 PM
I've added a few more images illustrating the streetscape impact as well as the courtyard space.
Cadmonkey
#16 Posted by Cadmonkey on 25 Aug 2016 at 14:49 PM
Dear Mr Boring
I am sure pre-submission discussions were had about how to make the design as efficient as possible in terms of design and cost, and as tall as they dare attempt to get away with.
My point is that there seems to be a lot of this going about in Glasgow at present.
????
Mr Boring
#17 Posted by Mr Boring on 25 Aug 2016 at 15:18 PM
#16 - that's the process and a facet of any commercial design - this project seems to resolve those factors well.

the close up images are really nice - i like the change of material on the secondary, courtyard blocks. The precast facade elements appear similar to One New Ludgate in the City of London which I think is a good reference point.
Terra
#18 Posted by Terra on 27 Aug 2016 at 17:39 PM
This looks great. That area could be doing with this as well. Maybe they could re-clad and sort out the roof of that horrid cinema just down the road from it too.
tom manley
#19 Posted by tom manley on 29 Aug 2016 at 21:44 PM
i agree with Billy #10 its good as far as following a model of contemporary commercial development - clean detailing and simplicity in facade but it seems to be crying out for something more to give it something to relate to Glasgow... ok we don't put sculptures on buildings much any more and lack of any ornamentation seems to be the thing - but perhaps like Citizen M a panel or strip or banding on the elevation with some artwork or illustration based in Glasgow or by Glasgow artists would be interesting.

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