August 31 2021

The backers behind a major new office development in Glasgow city centre have shared their indicative plans for a 13-storey tower on the corner site.

Garroch Investments with Mosaic Architecture + Design propose to demolish the current Prince's House at 51 West Campbell Street and replace it with new build accommodation due to the use of high alumina cement (HAC) in its construction.

Explaining this difficulty the applicants wrote: "As the building incorporates HAC it means that the building does not have a long term future as it is impossible to obtain a fully repairing and Insuring (RFI) lease. Potential occupiers will worry about the quality and longevity of the building therefore it will be unable to secure long term lets. This building will therefore not be able to attract Grade A office tenants to what should be a prime office location.

"The building has already been reclad in 1998 which has reached the end of its useful life span and therefore refurbishment of the external cladding is futile as the building defect lies within the concrete frame of the building which cannot be upgraded or repaired."

A mixed-use replacement is proposed to rise in its place constituting ground floor retail and commercial office space above with external terraces at the highest level. A circulation core is positioned to the south to maximise views to the north and east.

The city centre build joins a growing cluster of activity, rising across the road from the Distillers Building by Bennetts as well as Cadworks and The Grid, both by Cooper Cromar.

A formal planning application is expected to land later this year following public consultation. 

6 Comments

#1 Posted by The sinik on 31 Aug 2021 at 13:21 PM

Pretty sure our beloved Council Planners will validate this sometime in 2026 if they can be bothered working.

#2 Posted by classarchitect on 31 Aug 2021 at 15:38 PM

something quite pleasant about the render of the context - looks like cake. Maybe I'm just hungry. Could also be made to look like foam. Can't eat that.

#3 Posted by Roddy_ on 1 Sep 2021 at 00:01 AM

Glasgow's new commercial buildings reaching new heights of banality (pun intended). Not one of those pastel shaded blocks with anything remotely redeeming about them- essays in the meanness of corporate mass-production with nothing to say about the city or it's context. Not even active ground floors that might actually contribute to the street. Bland and indistinct with details to match. This banal, corporate aesthetic seems to be spilling over into the domain of resi development as evidenced by MODA and the recent dreary and inelegantly proportioned towers in India Street. The 80's commercial blocks at least had a bit of gumption about them ... and some decent materials.

#4 Posted by Silly Architect on 1 Sep 2021 at 09:24 AM

Aren't the current office buildings throughout the city sitting empty? There must be money to be made in building these types of buildings because everything from the outside screams 'waste of time, effort and money' but they keep being proposed.

I always knew i was in the wrong profession, but this type of stuff only validates that feeling...

#5 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 2 Sep 2021 at 09:56 AM

Not sure where the desire for world class architecture is coming from for a building that is just another piece of corporate stack-a-pleb.

It is filler -- the big issue is what goes on within?

Is it coin clipping / tax gymnastics / organised theft from the working class ... ???

Or is it design / development / project management of something real and useful ???

That is the big issue.
The wrapper is a nice to have.

#6 Posted by The sinik on 2 Sep 2021 at 13:39 PM

Project Management has pretty much been replaced by the 'Forward' function on email Fat Bloke.

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