Neo Art Deco student tower takes Glasgow back to black
December 10 2024
An emerging forest of towers in Glasgow's Anderston district will be given a new centrepiece with plans for a svelte 25-storey student tower that seeks to evoke 1920's opulence over 2020's austerity.
Construction giant Graham harbour big plans for 138 Hydepark Street, proposing a sweeping jet-black student tower with glossy scalloped ceramic panels and curved glass corners to imbue the site with a dash of gilded-age glamour.
Hosting 410 student flats above a ground-floor amenity podium the terraced tower combines outdoor lounges and a communal kitchen, in a rectangular form modelled on the proportions of New York's Seagram Tower.
Referencing their inspiration behind the design Cooper Cromar described Minerva Way as displaying 'Undertones of 1920’s art deco with elegant slim-line frames and metalwork.'
Outlining their approach to materiality the practice added: "Glossy black scalloped large format panels enhance the verticality of the facade, with black simple concrete horizontal elements intersecting every third floor. Subtle and timeless it will weather well in Glasgow’s microclimate. In the words of Henry Ford in the 1920’s: ‘any colour the customer wants as long as it's black.’"
Attention to detail reaches the crown of the building, extending the scalloped panels and rounded corners of the floors below with art deco-style decorative metalwork concealing the rooftop plant.
A jet black finish and curved corners will set the tower apart from its peers
Amenity spaces are grouped around the ground and first floor levels to bring life to the street
An external terrace is located on the 11th floor
An internal viewing room is located on the top floor
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16 Comments
Credit where its due though - probably the best tower design we've seen in the city thus far.
My only concern - which I’m sure will be echoed by others on here - is the lack of garden allotments.
The bold Henry and his colour comment -- that was a decade earlier and related to the challenges of mass producing cars in an economical fashion.
Black paint dried quicker and so shortened the paint line.
Henry in the 1920's was a time of stagnation / decline / total collapse as he struggled to engineer a replacement for his signature vehicle. The lines stood still for 6 months as the tried to understand the success of GM.
GM -- multiple models / multiple brands / multiple colours.
Architects and their PR -- not a match made in heaven.
Was Art Deco at any point ever big into black?
McKintosh would have been better.
More local / more credible.
Plus it needs a boost.
It’s certainly much better than that white tower with the cheap bricks at Platform.
Well done CC
So a black tower is just a cheap way of moving the discussion away from a very basic as in cheap design.
However the plinth looks ambitious even if the multiple terraces add complexity and complicate the look.
Glesga PBSA klondike running out of steam -- the design will pivot nicely to a hotel.
Not a lot of our plooky youth on show in the visuals -- very mature / very hipster / very artificial.
However great addition to the area -- a few more and we will have a real / happening new residential district that looks the part.
Love the Art Deco nod
The lower part is confused and does not sit well with the upper part or the context.
Definitely above average but that is not saying much here.
Pie in the sky -- probably.
With all the activity in the area and the new homes being built -- is it time to try and revitalise the Fastlink idea?
Better buses / better branding / better bus stops and put in a second leg to Byres Road / GU?
The area is a bit of a desert for transport links at the moment with issues of connectivity across the Clyde and the Clydeside Expressway.
Plus Fastlink kills all credibility surrounding the Glasgow Metro chat.
Two birds / one stone.
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