July 14 2023

A 1920s warehouse is powering a new generation of industry a hundred years later following its transformation into a social and community enterprise hub.

Civic House by community interest company Agile City and Collective Architecture sees the former printworks remodelled as an ideas factory, bringing new energy to a forgotten corner of Glasgow with a micro power station.

Led by Collective Architecture the retrofit is billed as a model for the conversion of idle factories and warehouses as the engines of a low-carbon economy. The latest evolution of the Speirs Locks canal zone as a cultural quarter the project seeks to reverse a process of post-industrial decline by seeding cultural, social and green enterprises within the 840m2 space.

The phased fabric first approach to the modest example of early 20th-century industrial architecture emphasises the inherent character of the building while upgrading its envelope to modern insulation standards.

Emily Ong of Collective Architecture commented: “We designed the retrofit to take advantage of Civic House’s form, east-west orientation and existing glazing patterns. We wanted to ensure that its unique features were not only preserved but also enhanced in a way that delivered a comfortable indoor environment for occupants ‒ whether the building was being used as a co-working space or by up to 200 people as an events venue.”

Public realm works to further embed Civic House within its setting are now planned, led by an outdoor space suited to music and gardening.

3 Comments

#1 Posted by GMan on 14 Jul 2023 at 12:47 PM

Best of luck with that, it's a bit of a dive around here and it resembles a bin but that's down to the locals for making it that way, underpasses here look like a place where you would be robbed, yet spotless prior to Lockdown. This building is like an Oasis in a sea of s___e.

#2 Posted by Peter on 14 Jul 2023 at 18:08 PM

Great to see this building refurbished and brought a new lease of life! Can remember working in the poorly insulated space before. Hopefully more will follow suit and reap the benefits of enerPHit

#3 Posted by Bill S on 17 Jul 2023 at 14:42 PM

Looks great - what a positive approach to an existing building and will be keen to see how it fares over the coming years.

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