Community Safety Hub

One of the most distinctive parts of the ambitious Brutalist Paisley Civic Centre, completed to an award winning design by HLM in 1958 is its former District Court. This discrete building is a carefully composed study in concrete with a distinctive pyramidal roof and elevations combining curtain walling, external vertical structure and cantilevered overhangs.

Community Safety Hubs aim to bring police, social services and community support officers together to share information and provide cross disciplinary support; improving the service provision of each organisation. The Hub provides a dedicated 24 hour a day facility. It is also supported by the local CCTV service, located within the building.

In contrast to the treatment of the remainder of the Civic Centre which was overclad with lightweight panels we wanted to retain the raw purity of the concrete while lightening the building’s appearance and changing public perception. Our strategy was therefore to clean the concrete with a steam system and treat it with a water repelling cream to help retain the lighter colour. Concrete repairs have been undertaken and left exposed, again to retain the character of the material.

Where damaged lead panels, grey aluminium windows and felt roofs were removed these have all been replaced with a burnished gold cladding and anodised gold aluminium windows. Due to the contrast in colour with the existing building’s materials it was important that the finishes were not painted or coated but that they had a variation akin to the concrete.