If it's the clamps that are failing replace the clamps, not the panels- unless 'concern for public safety' is actually disguising an ingrained prejudice against concrete materiality.

The precast panels of the library towers are a shadow of the in-situ corrugations of the Hunterian gallery annex which, following the partial demolition of Paisley Civic Centre and imminent demolition of the Newbery Tower at the Glasgow School of Art, will be the last complete Scottish manifestation of 'concrete corduroy', made famous by Paul Rudolph.

So hands off the Hunterian.

Agreed!

I suspect you'll find that the concern for public safety is actually disguising an ingrained prejudice against people getting creamed by massive concrete panels falling on them.

The clamps are more than likely cast in to the panels, and located at slab edge junctions, making their separate replacement unfeasible.

Paul Rudolph never built in the Scottish climate, so mention of him is just a distraction here.

None of the buildings mentioned above are good examples of anything except bloody minded pennypinching. We've got enough reminders of that in Glasgow to last until the next millennium.

I just hope N&P are up to the job of making the outside of this stump look attractive, and that the new cladding lasts longer than the original (or am I the only one deeeply disturbed by high rise buildings that start falling apart after less than fifty years?)

Buildings in need of maintenance have bits falling off them shocker.

Hi, I'm doing a dissertation on this at the moment. The comments above are very interesting and I'd love to hear more if anyone wouldn't mind sharing their professional opinions here. Are there other ways of fixing the building without changing the architecture too much? What do Architects think about buildings like this one being changed so dramatically?