as one oi the largest private housing programmes recently undertaken In Scotland. Tom Elder oi elder G Cannon. architects much praised lor the innovative iacade ol the Pakistan Bank on Sauchiehali Street, says oi the llrm's new proiect: ‘Working with a mish-mash oldillerent periods, materials and styles is certainly a challenge’. The 28 million development iinanced by Kantel, Glasgow District Council and the SDA, also leatures landscaped courtyards and gardens and an underground car park which, when excavated. was discovered to be iull oi glucose tablets and may once have been a Civil Deience Shelter.
6 Although one at the smallest ol Glasgow's developments, Trinity College. or Free Church College as it was once called. inthe West End's Woodland's Terrace. is one oi the more notable, because at the important part it plays in Glasgow's skyline. The building originates irom 1885, when Charles Wilson. the architect behind the adiacent celebrated Park area, won a competition to build it. Since then it has been the place from where Prolessor Barclay at Glasgow University gave his renowned, televised Theology lectures. The
company behind the Trinity development are Windex, who were the ilrst companyto start renovation in the Merchant City area. Mr Jim Oliver oi Windex explained that the back hall will again be used ioreducational purposes, while the lront hall oi the building 1
6
will have 21 housing units. Most oithese will be maisonettes. but at the lront oi the building will be two, three-storey town houses. Every occupant will have lull use at the tower, which will be extensively renovated and installed with a iixed telescope - thereby giving possibly the best view in the city (see right). Brian Condon oi architects Cunning and Cunningham said that they were very glad to be involved as it is ‘one at the top live buildings inGlasgow and we’ll never get the chance again.’
7 Parkhead Forge, iounded in 1837 at the height ol the Industrial Revolution, once resounded with the clank oi steam hammers, cogging mills and hydraulic presses. Now the lonner steel production site on the less iashionable side oltown, will re-emerge as a £25 million consumers' paradise — a vast shopping and leisure centre spread over 32 acres. The Forge Centre lies within the Glasgow Eastern Area Renewal Proiect (GEAR), and is based on Edinburgh's award winning Cameron Toll complex. it is partly aimed at replacing smaller shops which cannot luily cater tor the area’s needs. But the backers, Realmoak Developments Limited, have an eye to attracting custom irom all over Eastern Central Scotland. and the meticulous drawings oi catchment areas in the surveyor’s study indicate highly prolessional, aggressive marketing tactics. Parkhead will house pubs. restaurants, a multi-screen cinema, snooker arcade,
Hi"
..-~.u-a-,, mar/‘W "A" ' «~nvu.‘ 4.
,. [1-3‘, I"
L")... f. ’ -. I ~ ' ‘ a 4.,» unit a ‘7‘ ' L. 5' Vi um i (1.; Hi” 15:63.3 V‘ “1“ ml 3&3 “vm u '
bowling alley and a ‘communlty hall' as well as shops, and is designed to be used as much at night as in the daytime. To iacilltate access a road will be built Iinkingthe development to the M8 and there will be a new railway stations at nearby Duke Street. The architects, Scott Drownrigg at Turner, are reluctant to discuss the project duelor completion in August 1988. but say that they are currently “involved in rather delicate planning consultations'.
8 Potentially the most adventurous at all the plans, as it involves an unorthodox mixture at public and private sector housing, Hutchesontown E is also one at the most controversial. Dnly12 years ago over 750 council flats were built at a cost oi £8 million and the Queen even came to cut the ribbon on the new housing scheme in the Gorbals, one oi the city's most notorious slums. But the Utopian dream was short-lived - lhellat rooted, deck-access ilats worked well in sunny countries. but Gilbert Ash. the architect who adopted their design irom the French Trocoba system. overlooked the wet Scottish climate. Damp soon made the llats uninhabitable but Glasgow District Council's coliers were empty. It a well publicised private scheme goes ahead, the Glaswegian builder. Frank Lailerty, andthe Scottish linn, Bamtt Urban Renewal Ltd would spend EDA million on council housing ii granted permission to build a 1.45 million shopping and leisure complex
on a valuable 34 acre site next to thellats.
The propsed scheme involves demolishing ‘ilutchie E' in its entirety and replacing it with a mixture at council and private housing together with the ubiquitous leisure iacilities, shopping centre and ten-screen cinema. it seems likely. however, thatthe scheme in its present lorrn will not be built as it will be against the proposals and strictures oi the Local Plan.
The Garden Festival is not, itsell, oi hugel
interest irom a building point oiview. Almost everything which is going to be built is temporary and will be demolished as soon as the Festival is overto be replaced byan upmarket, private housing development. One exception is the 200 loolobservation tower which will be removed irom the 120 acre, Prince's dock site to a permanent site elsewhere in the city. The Garden Festival will be at positive benelit to the lace ol Glasgow in an indirect way. because the District Council are expecting some live million visitors to the city lor the lestival, all the road and rail approaches to Glasgow are going to be cleaned up and landscaped although, as yet, there has been nothing more concrete announced than this.
The List 29 Nov— 12 Dec 7