April 19 2023

Glasgow's Met Tower is the subject of a £60m investment by office space provider Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General, which proposes to refurbish the B-listed to support the growth of hi-tech industries.

Derelict for over a decade the 110,000sq/ft Met Tower is to be refurbished and returned to use for summer 2025 by a team including Cooper Cromar, Woolgar Hunter and Atelier Ten, in tandem with an adjacent new build tower of 10 floors which will open a year later.

Both towers will provide over 200,000sq/ft of accommodation between them, with serviced and leased office space available where university spin-offs, startups and established businesses can make their home. Targetting net zero carbon in construction and net-zero operation the work will retain as much of the historic 1960s fabric as possible, including the distinctive 'upside down boat' roof structure which is to be retained as a lounge and event space.

A smaller tower will face this space across a new plaza, providing additional office space as well as a roof terrace and cafe. Feature vertical fins will also be employed for solar shading as part of a drive towards BREEAM Excellent status and an EPC A rating. A double-height atrium will connect both elements with wellness and leisure facilities with a landscaped public space spilling out onto Queen Street Station.

Pete Crowther, property director at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Met Tower is the perfect location to build a new tech and digital cluster in Glasgow; not only is it located a mere 50m from Queen Street Station, it’s in the heart of the Glasgow City Innovation District surrounded by two exceptional universities and the College, where future talent and some of the most exciting university spin-outs in Scotland and all of the UK can be found."

Assuming planning approval work is set to commence on the main tower this winter. 

7 Comments

#1 Posted by town planner on 19 Apr 2023 at 20:41 PM

The top of that building is so clumsy looking, would have preferred they tweaked the roof somehow to hide it a bit better, although at least they look to be getting rid of the antennae.
Could they provide some decent lighting for night-time vistas? Edinburgh Uni's Appleton Tower was renovated relatively recently, added an extra floor in height to cap the roof, and has an ever-changing light colour at night which looks great.

#2 Posted by outraged individual on 20 Apr 2023 at 10:24 AM

a clumsy neighbour to the elegance of the met tower

#3 Posted by Roddy_ on 20 Apr 2023 at 11:59 AM

This is depressing - and bordering on embarrassing- for such a high profile location in Glasgow.

The facade is dreary and heavy - it reminds me of something from 1970's America - and not in a good way. And truly - is terminating a building with roof-mounted plant the best that can be offered up?

We also appear to have lost the earlier mooted active plinth and frontage to North Frederick Street.

A milk and water Urban Design Panel and ineffectual City Design governance means this will probably fly through the planning system. The city, is, after all, open for business...

#4 Posted by David on 20 Apr 2023 at 12:48 PM

This is frustratingly repeating all of the issues that the existing podium building had in terms of ignoring North Frederick Street and North Hanover Street, leaving them both as inactive windswept walls. Terrible urban response, but wouldn't expect anything better from the architects involved.

#5 Posted by James Hepburn on 21 Apr 2023 at 14:10 PM

Just refreshing to see its not like everything else in Glasgow being turned into an hotel or student accommodation.

#6 Posted by Martin on 23 Apr 2023 at 22:49 PM

It's not quite been derelict for over a decade (it just looked like it). City of Glasgow College moved from there to the new campus just along the road in August 2015. It's been a little under 8 years.

#7 Posted by George on 24 Apr 2023 at 12:36 PM

Great to see this building being renovated, given its prominent location but I do agree with #1 that it would be nice to see the unattractive jumble on the roof sorted out or hidden. Nonetheless a good development and here's hoping it helps develop our new raft or tech and digital startups!

Post your comments