Mothballed St Enoch Square hotel plan dusted off
May 18 2016
Designed to enclose the south side of the mixed use scheme will include retail and commercial uses across ground and first floor levels together with a ‘robust base’ and ‘differentiation of storeys’ together with a modulated glazed corner intended to ‘make a proper connection’ to the square.
In their design statement the architects said: “The hotel rooms being set back from each boundary sufficiently to allow the necessary fenestration to the bedrooms. At the sixth floor level the external wall to the Howard Street frontage is setback approximately one metre to allow the proper relationship to the existing buildings in Howard Street as St Enoch Square is approached.
“A seventh floor to the hotel is also proposed, but this is limited to the north western corner of the site.”
Faced in limestone the L-shaped scheme will see bedroom windows set in deep reveals with a hotel atrium rising from second floor level through to the roof.
13 Comments
#1 Posted by Basho on 18 May 2016 at 20:53 PM
Bland flat sandstone facades with a recessed lead or zinc roof level. These identikit designs are painfully common in Scottish city centres. Not every building has to be an architectural bobby dazzler, but surely we can do better than this.
#2 Posted by Fraser on 18 May 2016 at 21:18 PM
It would be better than what is there currently, but that does not excuse the faceless facade on the upper floors. It's always good to see and attempt at instigating ground activity. The problem I have with this is it is the same copy paste architecture repeated sober and over. Where is the personality?
#3 Posted by Sue Pearman on 19 May 2016 at 09:28 AM
There is something more than a little awkward about the proportions of this one. It's very bulky, top heavy and as someone in this office noted "looks a little like a hunchback lifting their skirt".
On the positive side it's high quality render of an ugly building.
On the positive side it's high quality render of an ugly building.
#4 Posted by jock mcsporran on 19 May 2016 at 09:45 AM
Elephant!
Once you see it you can't un-see it.
Once you see it you can't un-see it.
#5 Posted by Gringo on 19 May 2016 at 10:13 AM
Pretty 'meh' design- but in saying that it's about 1million times better than the shambles that is there at the moment.
The location is one of the key connection to the river in the city centre, so it would be nice if they were able to make some gesture that celebrated that.
The location is one of the key connection to the river in the city centre, so it would be nice if they were able to make some gesture that celebrated that.
#6 Posted by Rem Koolbag on 19 May 2016 at 14:18 PM
Is it really better than what is there at the moment Gringo? Currently there is a low rise building to the south of a public square - to be replaced with this disproportioned beast of questionable proportions.
#7 Posted by James Cameron on 19 May 2016 at 14:24 PM
If the best that can be said of it is that it 'is better than what's there at the moment' and that's the limit of aspiration then why not just build a blank wall because arguably that would be better too (what's there is obviously junk)... should we not be aiming higher?
#8 Posted by Fraser on 19 May 2016 at 14:27 PM
I would say it is an improvement by some stretch on what is there currently. Currently there is an eye sore of a building instating no form of street activity, and with very little significant presence in context to the area. At least this attempts it, but it is a little clunky, granted.
#9 Posted by George on 20 May 2016 at 06:37 AM
For a Premier Inn it's probably not too bad, and at least the materials are of a higher quality than usual.
What concerns me more is that to attract visitors to that end of St Enoch square they will need to sort out the situation with the current St Enoch homeless 'hotel' as I know of plenty of people who are put off going anywhere near that end of town due to some of the 'characters' that frequent that area.
What concerns me more is that to attract visitors to that end of St Enoch square they will need to sort out the situation with the current St Enoch homeless 'hotel' as I know of plenty of people who are put off going anywhere near that end of town due to some of the 'characters' that frequent that area.
#10 Posted by Billy on 20 May 2016 at 07:53 AM
I like it. If we can't have the square as it was in its glory days then this is good . Glad to see the eyesore that is there being removed.
#11 Posted by Charlie_ on 20 May 2016 at 14:11 PM
I can't why the council should sanction the reduction of the top floor window sizes; tell them to build the original, approved version or bolt, please.
#12 Posted by Terra on 6 Jun 2016 at 04:02 AM
I like that something is going to be done about that plot. What's there now is an eyesore. But they could be a bit more imaginative in their design to say the least. Again though, this is a huge improvement on the current state of that site.
#13 Posted by Margaret on 1 Mar 2018 at 11:05 AM
Delighted they are finally going to build here. I think this Hotel is greatly needed in St Enochs, I like the style of it!
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