New build flats for wheelchair residents

Collective Architecture were appointed in September 2007 to develop proposals for a 2-phased redevelopment of the client’s current specialist housing, further to winning an open competition.

The initial phase of the project consists of 24 new build wheelchair flats to Argyle Street and Perth Street, situated within the Anderston area of Glasgow’s City Centre. Anderston underwent a comprehensive redevelopment in the late 1960’s resulting in the demolition of the Victorian tenements which used to line this once busy part of the City Centre. A series of prefabricated low and high rise blocks of flats were constructed with little relationship to the existing road layout or to the great public realm. The client’s Ballantrae Court facility was part of this but is to be demolished, with the majority of tenants being decanted to the new development. The area is about to undergo large scale redevelopment with an emphasis on reinstating strong street frontages.

Margaret Blackwood Housing Association is a nationwide Housing Association, which specifically caters for tenants with a wide variety of special needs. The 1st phase see's 24 x 2-bedroomed flats, arranged around a generous central circulation area. All flats have large open plan living rooms and kitchens, with full height patio doors opening out onto large south facing terraces. The terraces gives residents access to their own private outdoor space with views along Argyle Street. The new flats will provide independent living to all residents, with a monitored back up as and when required.

The building employs both simple and technical ways of addressing issues of sustainability. The south elevation is highly glazed to absorb the suns energy within the cooler months, whilst the deep balconies provide shade in the summer. Windows onto the north elevation are reduced to a minimum to reduce heat loss.