January 1 2022

Soller Group and Mosaic Architecture & Design have produced an application for planning in principle to erect the second phase of planned office development at Carrick Street in Glasgow's Broomielaw office district.

Both phases will flank a new public plaza connecting Brown Street and Carrick Street, doubling as a defined entrance to each building.

Adopting a 'doughnut' plan office space is arranged around a central access core abutting the back end of 200 Broomielaw, with massing manipulated to follow the 'giant order' established in classical architecture as projecting facades pushed and pulled to form a stepped profile.

Rising from a recessed ground floor colonnade the twin build will frame a landscaped oval square with amphitheatre seating suitable for events.

In a design development statement, Mosaic wrote: "The new development will provide a public plaza linking Brown Street and Carrick Street, providing a much-needed green and public space within the district, and a stepping stone to the nearby Clyde riverfront.

"A ‘giant’ order is defined to provide proportion to the elevations."

The development will require the relocation of the Glasgow City Mission building to alternative premises elsewhere in the city, with the charity working with the applicants to ensure continuity of service.

Charles Maasz, Chief Executive of the charity said: ‘Soller have been working closely with us and have been keeping us abreast of developments at every stage. Soller continue to offer all the help possible as we explore options available to us and consider the wider implications of this development and its impact on our services.”

Rising through 17 floors the taller element will provide over 270,000sq/ft of gross internal floor space.

21 Comments

#1 Posted by Steppish on 1 Jan 2022 at 12:57 PM

So utterly dull and uninspiring that it's ruined my 2022 on day one. Rather than producing a 100 page district regeneration framework on how to improve and revitalise the broomielaw area, a lot of time and money could have been saved by just publishing a sheet of A4 with a picture of that dross on it and the words "ffs don't do this" underneath

#2 Posted by Roddy_ on 1 Jan 2022 at 13:48 PM

Depressing. I mean why bother with designing the thing when you can duplicate the earlier phase with some added height. More worryingly, a glance at the ground floor reveals a building with 50% non-active frontage in effect sterilising the adjacent streets; streets that in all likelihood will be dull and over-shadowed for most of the day. One wonders if the paradigm of monolithic, mono-use buildings in the IFSD will ever be broken. Didn't the DRF proscribe such?

#3 Posted by Gordon Brown on 2 Jan 2022 at 10:23 AM

Another wet dream from the money men and their puppet architects. Capitalism will eat itself and investors in this nonsense will get shredded. Alas, Glasgow also gets shredded in the process. Short term profit long term pain.

#4 Posted by James Hepburn on 2 Jan 2022 at 12:39 PM

Oh my goodness!!! Is there no end to the talent of Scotland's architects most of whom seem to be off not because of covid but because of patting themselves on the back. Never have so many given so little in the way of imagination.Prosaic Architecture and Design specialise in the mundane creating developments that will require demolition in twenty years time.

#5 Posted by Roddy on 2 Jan 2022 at 22:02 PM

This is a solid addition for Glasgow

Laughable to read the sad comments from sad nobodies who contribute nothing positive to Glasgow.

Game on

#6 Posted by Chris on 3 Jan 2022 at 09:48 AM

#6 A fake Roddy! It’s more laughable that someone has had to resort to anonymous ad hominem attacks instead of actually countering with something constructive (and Glasgow deserves better than the above btw).

#7 Posted by Neil C on 3 Jan 2022 at 11:08 AM

Frankly Roddy has a point, so much negative and needless criticism is generated here and often from the usual suspects. To the extent that when something worthy of criticism, like this, appears. No one really pays any attention. Just more blah, blah blah from Urban Realm posters

#8 Posted by Aaron on 3 Jan 2022 at 11:44 AM

I think it looks good, people acting like it is the end of the world. This was always bound to happen in that little gap site behind the office block, I don't think building the City Mission building in that area was a good idea to begin with anyways..

#9 Posted by Roddy_ (with an underscore) on 3 Jan 2022 at 14:51 PM

Perhaps those lauding this may wish to explain why they think it praiseworthy (worth noting that they don't). Otherwise it just sounds like they're bluffing. I think anyone with a basic understanding of what makes good (not even great) buildings should be able to do this.

#10 Posted by John on 4 Jan 2022 at 08:11 AM

This is a good development.

Much better than sitting in your Ivory Tower looking at an empty gap site for decades.

#11 Posted by Bob Smith on 4 Jan 2022 at 11:45 AM

I suspect a lot of the negativity on here stems from jealousy of not getting the opportunity to work on major projects like this.

#12 Posted by Chris on 4 Jan 2022 at 11:49 AM

This is the good angle - the view it presents to the river with poorly disguised building cores is pretty bad.

#13 Posted by Queen B on 4 Jan 2022 at 16:25 PM

Humans as drones! That's the future! How efficient is that then, eh? NOT.

#14 Posted by Rod-ney on 5 Jan 2022 at 12:04 PM

An uninspiring duplicated mega monstrosity. No real consideration to area, streetscape or people, contextually inept. It hurts the eyes to see a glass box propped on stilts - seriously who looked at that and thought "I want 2 of those"?

#15 Posted by Darren on 5 Jan 2022 at 20:18 PM

Seems to be the case that some people here think something is better than nothing, any building is better than an empty undeveloped plot. Well I'm afraid to say with dull, uninspiring anywhere architecture like this, I think I'd prefer that empty plot. Sure it's a building with floors and space for people, but what makes this standout, unusual, interesting, impressive or even dare I say it, landmark. Absolutely nothing. It's even boring middle of the road height, 16 floors, just playing it safe. The city is crying out for a tall landmark building, something akin to The Shard. But no, all Glasgow keeps getting is this drivel. It's very depressingly familiar. The council needs to push developers and architects to be bold, forward thinking, radical even. But it won't happen. Global Glasgow, what's that??

#16 Posted by Charlie_ on 6 Jan 2022 at 14:50 PM

Drawing out the only positive here - we'll soon learn lf the DFRs the council have spent years on are worth the paper they might be printed on, never mind the public money spent drawing them up. Over to you, GCC.

#17 Posted by Neil C on 6 Jan 2022 at 16:06 PM

Like I said, it's got to the stage where no-one pays any attention to UR's usual suspects mouthing off...... least of all GCC.

#18 Posted by CGM on 6 Jan 2022 at 18:09 PM

#17 Seriously though, an empty site would be better compared to what is proposed here (not only thinking environmentally here). The proposal is an extremely poor attempt at addressing what people need - Multi-storey offices (made of glass) seems like backward thinking to me. Not only will this development harm the planet with its materiality and function, it will also probably lie half empty. It would be pretty cool to see future City Centre sites developed for dynamic multi-use residential units. The criticism for this scheme is fair.

#19 Posted by Turkeys and Christmas on 7 Jan 2022 at 15:24 PM

Of course this may be a small point, but does any UR follower actually know anyone who either aspires to be, or likes their life as a corporate drone? Just sayin, like.

#20 Posted by Robin B's Discount on 10 Jan 2022 at 09:51 AM

@19 - Yeah me.

#21 Posted by Neil C on 10 Jan 2022 at 13:18 PM

#19 I'm afraid that the majority commenting are corporate drones, myself included and are likely to remain so. Hence the persistent griping. That's just the way it is I'm afraid. Those that can do.

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