January 24 2022

Soller Group with Mosaic Architecture & Design are staging a virtual public consultation into proposals for Glasgow's latest build to rent scheme.

A 1.3-acre site at 144 Port Dundas Road, comprising a third of a city block in Cowcaddens, has been identified for the delivery of the apartment complex, heralded as an essential component of efforts to repopulate the city centre.

Complementary retail, office and cafe spaces will be provided on-site, with indicative proposals stacking accommodation across two towers of up to 16 floors, with lower rise linking blocks forming an internal courtyard.

Cementing the current street pattern the massing is pulled back towards the southwestern corner to maximise daylight with the ground floor accommodating flexible amenity spaces, a gym, bike stores and an external courtyard.

External roof terraces are proposed for the sixth and eighth floors.

Consultation documents state: "Towers are extruded to generate more height and scale. The southern wing is pulled back from the street line to create public realm. Roof terraces are created on the upper floors with recessed lower levels define human-scale & interact with the public space."

Online consultation is currently underway with a live Q&A with the development team scheduled for 15:00 on 26 January.

19 Comments

#1 Posted by MV on 24 Jan 2022 at 13:43 PM

I can see what you were trying there, but no amount of soft focus is rescuing this scheme.

#2 Posted by Roddy_ on 24 Jan 2022 at 17:02 PM

In a district of sterile, non-active ground floors, we can ill afford another. Put the servicing and plant somewhere else and please have another go at the elevations.

#3 Posted by HMR on 25 Jan 2022 at 08:00 AM

Merely an outpost in no-mans land

#4 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 25 Jan 2022 at 09:06 AM

Filler -- much needed filler.
Active ground floors -- they come with economic activity.
That needs people.

#5 Posted by Peter on 25 Jan 2022 at 09:26 AM

As mentioned abovr - active grounds? Drop two smoking stations around and they'll come.

#6 Posted by Dave on 25 Jan 2022 at 10:18 AM

Why have there been so many Built to Let schemes recently? I think I only heard the term for the first time a few years back, now they're popping up everywhere.

#7 Posted by Sven on 25 Jan 2022 at 12:00 PM

Are we at peak rental in Glasgow yet? Population is stable after generations of decline. Student numbers are questionable if they will continue to grow, we know worldwide that low birth rates will have an impact, so how robust will the build to rent be over time?

#8 Posted by Roddy_ on 25 Jan 2022 at 12:47 PM

Per#4 : Nope. Active ground floors come from being designed that way.

#9 Posted by Mal on 25 Jan 2022 at 14:00 PM

More active frontage - anybody walked along Sauchiehall Street lately ?

#10 Posted by Built to Spill on 25 Jan 2022 at 14:08 PM

@ #06. the large scale BTR market had struggled to get off the ground in Glasgow until recently due to a combination of financial viability (local rent levels and yield); developer confidence; the relative lack of understanding by Government (national and local) around the BTR concept; and the PBSA market generally being a safer cash cow. With less student consents; a Council drive to repopulate the city centre and accept BTR as a useful tool to achieve this; and the pioneering BTR's progressing this has encouraged the recent influx of schemes. A shame that they generally look so bland...

#11 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 25 Jan 2022 at 15:55 PM

Posh / all action BTL "palaces" are now in vogue because property funds need new things to build now that shopping centres / malls are so out of fashion.

Plus the young team have caught the bug after living away from home through higher education -- might be an England thing but it has crossed the border.

Sharing resources means that certain facilities that are out of reach to the individual tenant are now designed in to the build and available to all.

Consequently posh BTL is a form of collectivism dare I say it socialism to those that can afford the rent.

I wonder if there will ever be a social rent version?

#12 Posted by Falconhoof on 25 Jan 2022 at 16:05 PM

Welcome to the 1970's.

#13 Posted by Gordon on 25 Jan 2022 at 16:09 PM

#10 It is interesting to note that the quality of the architecture expresses well the quality of the idea....BTR is a selfish idea thriving on the greed of unchecked money grabbing capitalists, all flourishing nicely after 10+years of Tory miss rule. The main design objective here is to line the pockets of the fat cats. Now more than ever architecture is expressive of its time. Mother of the Arts? Just weep!

#14 Posted by Gordon on 25 Jan 2022 at 16:23 PM

#11 FBOT....having a bad day? Don't let it muddle your thinking. BTR is the clever epitome of capitalist development. Your childrens, and their childrens options will be a tad blunted by this quiet social revolution...unless they are fighting on the other side.

#15 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 25 Jan 2022 at 17:04 PM

BTR -- Repeat BTR ...

Not really sure where the hate is coming from?
Plenty of continental countries have a thriving / dynamic commercial rent scene to go with the social rent sector.

To me it is all a bit pricey -- you can rank the property markets in UK cities by the rent levels that these developments can generate and they all could choke a horse.

Old school is house purchase.
Old enough to have heard all the advice first hand -- buy early / buy big / buy again.

The issue is the price levels and the amount of deposit needed to get a low mortgage rate.
Big deposits are hard to find for a lot of people and this lifestyle renting fills a gap.

Still expensive though.

One bed flat -- £1300 pcm vs £130K / £13K deposit -- discuss.

#16 Posted by Roddy_ on 25 Jan 2022 at 20:39 PM

@#9 Mal
Worth noting that active frontage does not necessarily mean commercial units, nor indeed does a commercial unit equal active frontage. These are common misconceptions.

#17 Posted by E=mc2 on 26 Jan 2022 at 12:42 PM

I like this, and like the rigour, although might have been inclined to include the set back at ground level on both streets rather than just one as they are south and west facing. But that's just me. Kind of reminds me of an old Elder & Cannon resi scheme for the Broomielaw. This one could easily be an office though until the net curtains go up

#18 Posted by Bannister Rechflet on 27 Jan 2022 at 20:06 PM

Alexander and Victor Vesnin, project for the Palace of Labor, 1922-1923.
http://www.arthistory.upenn.edu/spr01/282/w6c2i25.htm - the 3rd image
Rubles for old trope.

#19 Posted by Mark on 28 Jan 2022 at 11:31 AM

#18, I see what you're getting at there. Alexander and Victor Vesnin, project for the Palace of Capitalism, Glasgow 2022-2023?

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