May 20 2024

An undeveloped city block in Tradeston is to play an active role in the city once more under plans by the Wheatley Group to build 112 apartments for mid-market rent.

Unusually, the development plot presents four separate frontages to Wallace, Tradeston, Centre and Cook Street, presenting a one-off opportunity for Anderson Bell + Christie to create a slice of the city from scratch. Building on the industrial character of the evolving inner-city district the plans constitute a courtyard block shielding an interior amenity space, with the building line pushed back on three sides to give three B-listed neighbours room to breathe and mitigate traffic noise and pollution.

Conceived in two halves the project will be split between a northern six-storey element and a shorter four-storey block to the south. Recessed and projecting elements will give life to the primary facades with the recurring 'high forehead' motif reappearing here as a means to play with the massing and improve drainage. The architects explained: "Single-pitch roofs are introduced by refining the street-facing facades and introducing high foreheads that improve the overall proportions of the massing. This also aids the surface water drainage strategy by collecting the water in the courtyard."

Interior spaces will be radically different with banks of broad steel balconies facing the courtyard which double as an external amenity space. Turning to the secondary frontages, faced in striking factory-painted white brick, the architects added: "Each flat has a dedicated amenity space in the form of an extended cantilevering balcony creating a series of zigzagging extrusions on the inner facades. These pop-out balconies allow for an improved sense of identity and personalisation in addition to the potential for social interactions between neighbours."

The accommodation mix includes two-storey maisonettes with private main door entrances set within recessed arched openings and private front gardens.

13 Comments

#1 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 20 May 2024 at 11:18 AM

Interesting large scale development.
However the visuals are poor / inconsistent.

New 4 story block vs existing block with tower at the corner of Tradeston Street / Cook Street.

One view shows the new being taller than the old.
But another view has it being smaller.
They need to make up their mind.

#2 Posted by Ben on 20 May 2024 at 11:40 AM

Looks fantastic, another Glasgow regeneration project leading the way! Hope it starts on site soon.

#3 Posted by Chris on 20 May 2024 at 12:13 PM

#1 Or maybe you need to look at it again? The visuals are pretty clear.

#4 Posted by Roddy_ on 20 May 2024 at 13:40 PM

A fairly tight looking perimeter block but with a blank and rather austere expression - especially the 6 storey element- there is a base, a middle but no top.The attempted references to the adjacent buildings seem to fall short, proving once again that this kind of architecture lacks the language to become a coherent part of the streetscape. It is a half-hearted post-modernism that only dares to express itself with the arched entrances. The last image above with the perspective /elevations prove just how important roofs and rooflines are- the proposal is far too monolithic and slab-like.The first image with the building set back (apparently because of the busy road) shows how badly we need to look at downgrading these to create a more humane street corridor. A proper masterplan with codes is long overdue for Tradeston.

#5 Posted by Greg on 20 May 2024 at 16:25 PM

Funny part of town tradeston, still a lot of active industrial units but also some lovely under utilised buildings. If some of those could be repurposed retaining some of their original features, and a few more appropriate new builds go up, could be a very interesting wee part of the city

#6 Posted by TheFakeArchitect on 21 May 2024 at 10:02 AM

So Chris @ No. 3, I've looked again and would agree with the original post. The 1st montage has the new 4 storey block almost half a storey short of the existing neighbouring parapet. Correct? Yet the 2nd streetscape image shows the new 4 storey block considerably higher than said parapet and yet its meant to be setback. Can you enlighten us as to what is correct then or what we are missing?

#7 Posted by Chris on 21 May 2024 at 10:11 AM

#6 1st elevation is Cook st, 2nd is Wallace St. This development covers the whole city block.

#8 Posted by TheFakeArchitect on 21 May 2024 at 12:30 PM

#7 Yes, the 1st elevation is Cook Street, but I/we are referring to the second of the streetscape images that is also along Cook Street. Forget Wallace Street for a second, as its pretty clear that 6 storey element is higher.

#9 Posted by Chris on 21 May 2024 at 13:03 PM

#8 Well that’s even easier to understand. The corner of Cook/Tradeston St is 4 storeys, the corner of Cook/Centre St is higher at 6 storeys. If there’s anymore confusion I would suggest consulting the planning application, which has several more images/perspectives.

#10 Posted by Rem Koolbag on 21 May 2024 at 13:55 PM

Chris - look at the first image 'Tradeston building block to create a new chunk of the city' and see that the four storey block sits about halfway up the height of the adjoining building.

Then look at the last image 'The slice of city building will bring life to four linked streets' and see that the elevation has the four storey block sitting at or slightly above the parapet level of the same adjoining block (to the left)

#11 Posted by TheFakeArchitect on 21 May 2024 at 15:02 PM

You didn't draw this personally by any chance Chris, did you...?

#12 Posted by Chris on 21 May 2024 at 16:33 PM

Nah I'm just another anorak like most folk on here. I'll concede that the perspective on the first image is a bit off - as you were.

#13 Posted by Robert on 21 May 2024 at 18:34 PM

#1 Yer bum's oot the windae. Looks great, get er built

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