Parkhead School

Parkhead was once a flourishing centre of industry, Parkhead Forge steelworks employing 20,000 people. It now has one of the highest levels of unemployment in Scotland. We were appointed by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust to transform Parkhead School into a community enterprise centre with public and office space for Parkhead Housing Association.

The Category B-listed Glasgow School Board building was designed by Hugh McClure, built in 1878, extended to the west in 1887. The school closed in 1963 and became a resource centre for Glasgow City Council until the 1990s. It was empty for over 15 years and listed on the Buildings At Risk register. The building had suffered from water ingress, dry rot and structural failure and part of the roof had collapsed. The bell tower has been restored using documentary evidence, allowing the building to reassume its position as a local landmark, visible once again across Glasgow’s East End.

We produced a conservation state ment to identify the building's development and historical significance and used this to inform our design proposals. Later unsympathetic alterations were removed to return the spaces to their original configurations. This resulted in attractive dual aspect office spaces with an abundance of natural light. A sensitive new glazed extension was provided between the buildings to contain visitor reception and a passenger lift which gives first time access to the upper levels via a bridge link spanning between former window openings.

The £4.1m restoration was funded by the Parkhead Cross THI, Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, William Grant Foundation, and The Hugh Fraser Foundation. The building sits in the Parkhead Cross Conservation Area and the project was carried out as part of the Townscape Heritage Initiative. Its restoration has provided a catalyst for further regeneration in Parkhead.