June 12 2023

A city centre Glasgow tenement is to sprout hundreds of student apartments under the latest high-rise plan by real estate firm CA Ventures.

The Chicago-based firm, simultaneously prepping plans for Scotland's tallest building, proposes to raise the roof of the ailing property at 21-42 Queen Street to provide 197 studio and cluster flats.

Flow Design Architects with RankinFraser propose facade retention of the unlisted 1830s tenement to retain street-level heritage in the central conservation area while inserting a dramatic 14-storey block behind, stripping off layers of paint to reveal the original stonework.

This strategy will open up rear areas for pedestrians, providing lane access to Buchanan Street via a sequence of courtyards accessed from Argyll Chambers and Princes Court via a collonade. High-level setbacks respond to the B-listed Guildhall, providing external amenities for occupants.

Finished in profiled metal cladding and buff brick to complement the sandstone below. In an elevations and materiality statement, Flow wrote: "The design approach seeks to marry the new elements with the retained façade offering a built form that acts subserviently to the adjacent listed Guildhall whilst responding to the surrounding streetscape.

"Setbacks will be deployed to the principal elevations on the east and south at the 4th-floor level and again at the 10th-floor level which minimises the impact from a street-level aspect. The scheme will utilise lightweight materials above the new masonry that compliments the buff tones of the natural sandstone of the retained façade. The aesthetic created will respect the existing narrative of the streetscape."

A concrete structural frame is to be adopted around twin access stairs, permitting reconfiguration for alternative use at a later date if required. A ground floor commercial unit will provide further continuity, intended for use by current tenant Tam Shepherd's Trick Store.

5 Comments

#1 Posted by town planner on 12 Jun 2023 at 15:50 PM

From the few images it looks like a huge improvement on what is currently there, and complements well the large red sandstone building next to it.

#2 Posted by Roddy on 13 Jun 2023 at 19:51 PM

Good Effort
Double Thumbs up

#3 Posted by pooka on 14 Jun 2023 at 10:04 AM

has Archaos has been squashed by a huge magnolia plastic egg crate

#4 Posted by TheFakeArchitect on 14 Jun 2023 at 12:05 PM

I rather like this one. Get it built.

#5 Posted by Sue Pearman on 14 Jun 2023 at 13:03 PM

The first 'tier' looks to be an appropriate scale with the rest of Queen Street. However the additional tiers are way overscaled for this location and will overshadow the buildings to the rear and possibly even Buchanan Street.

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