April 7 2021

IQ Student Accommodation with Cooper Cromar has authored plans to replace 1970's office accommodation at 225 Bath Street, Glasgow, after ruling out adaptation owing to inefficient floor plates and a structural grid.

Responding to a general migration of office tenants south to the Broomielaw the work will see the current building demolished and replaced with a stepped new build structure, increasing in proportions from east to west in the form of four visually distinct blocks.

This would provide circa 560 bedrooms stacked above continuous amenity space housed within a ground floor plinth along Bath Street and the full lengths of Holland and Pitt Street's, wrapping onto Bath Lane to the rear.

Explaining the agreed design approach the architects wrote: "Considering the topography, sensitivity to the Adelaide Church to the east and the presence of taller buildings to the M8 to the west, there is a contextual logic for a stepping increase in height from east to west.

"Glasgow City Council have agreed with a simple, rational aesthetic to the facades that has a restrained palette of materials and a vertical emphasis and rhythm. Variety within the four distinct blocks is restrained but defined in subtle differences in material and building line. The provision of some depth to the façade is important to the success of this restrained approach."

Finished in a 'restrained' selection of two different types of brick with complementary bronze metalwork, including double-height framed 'portals' defining points of access set within large format sandstone (or reconstituted sandstone) cladding. 

12 Comments

#1 Posted by MeJustSaying on 7 Apr 2021 at 11:43 AM

So much for not having an overpopulation of students in one area...

#2 Posted by Darren MacLennan on 7 Apr 2021 at 17:42 PM

That is bloody horrendous, nothing else I can say

#3 Posted by David on 8 Apr 2021 at 01:00 AM

Looks good, great to see active ground floor frontage along the entire length of Bath Street. Pity the new build efforts in our other towns and cities aren't of this standard.

#4 Posted by MeJustSaying on 8 Apr 2021 at 08:09 AM

@#2 Agreed. Thats the general consensus of the local community councils and the residents in the area along with an over population of students.
My understanding is that our elected members are inline with their constituents views. :)

#5 Posted by Charlie_ on 8 Apr 2021 at 11:06 AM

I only count three purpose built student blocks in a radius of several hundred yards. The rest of the area is a healthy mix of flats, hotels, offices, shops, bars etc with most nearby proposals being non-student residential. There's no over concentration of anything.

#6 Posted by Steppish on 8 Apr 2021 at 11:56 AM

Further education is big business for the city and brings in a lot of money to the local economy. It also, obviously, brings in a lot of students, who have to live somewhere. And since they are generally car-less that somewhere needs to be walkable to the universities and not in the outskirts somewhere.

So there will always be *some* concentration of student housing in the areas close to the universities. The council say they won't allow over-concentration but that's hardly the case here.

"Oh Bath Street, what a student ghetto" said no-one ever

#7 Posted by Iain on 8 Apr 2021 at 12:05 PM

#5 Agreed. City centre needs people to be vibrant and to support local businesses. So many shops empty! We need regeneration activity rather than empty offices and a dead frontage. Better having students in well managed accommodation rather than putting pressure on private housing stock via HMO's. Building looks great - well thought out!

#8 Posted by MeJustSaying on 8 Apr 2021 at 12:27 PM

In the community council area that the building resides GCC figures show:
Circa 2,000 residents
Circa 1,000 students
The area needs more stylish residential housing not student accommodation.

#9 Posted by MeJustSayingNotInMyBackYard on 8 Apr 2021 at 13:18 PM

#8 In the very next block to this there's flats for approx 1000 people under construction right now. I'm sure the area has space for both

#10 Posted by Chris on 8 Apr 2021 at 14:19 PM

I'm all for student accommodation. More footfall in the city centre, and no one over 25 would realistically want to live so close to one of the city's main nightlife strips.

The proposal itself though is grim. The corner tower in particular is rather heavy and lacking in detail.

#11 Posted by Pleasantfield on 8 Apr 2021 at 15:52 PM

Mass is too great. It is yet another go anywhere building. A 1st year design student would have more inspiration. The building across the road on Holland St at least tried to create some features. This is utterly appalling and featureless.it long past time GCC Planning got their fingers out and demanded far better. Even US and Canadian building codes would have set height and mass limitation per zone and plot. This is hopeless

#12 Posted by Darren MacLennan on 8 Apr 2021 at 23:11 PM

I'm amazed that anyone thinks this is acceptable. We really should be aiming higher in terms of quality and originality. As has been said this is a go anywhere, could be any place bland, probably very cheap building. Basically it's just cut and paste. The massing is all wrong, the materials look dull, and as for the use of the word 'restrained', wel that's enough to send a shiver down your spine. Dreadful

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