January 20 2020

McAleer and Rushe have moved on-site with the delivery of 465 hotel beds in Glasgow as part of a redevelopment of the A-listed Custom House.

This will see the Clyde Street landmark refurbished to serve as the main entrance to the Clayton Hotel as well as a range of public spaces including a lobby, bar, meeting and conference facilities.

Split into two elements the plan centres on a 16 storey Dalata Clayton Hotel which will be joined by a fourteen storey Adagio Aparthotel.

In a statement, the contractor wrote: “Works on site are still focused on the construction of the core bases. These essentially are foundations on which sit the lift shaft and stairwells. These shafts or ‘cores’ are what you will see rise out of the ground over the next two months.

“The soft strip demolition works inside Custom House have now been completed and we are ready to start a new phase in the refurbishment of this listed building.”

The hotels were first proposed back in 2018 by Artisan Real Estate Investors and Sheppard Robson with Leach Rhodes Walker subsequently brought on board as delivery architect last year.

 

14 Comments

#1 Posted by Sue Pearman on 20 Jan 2020 at 10:22 AM

Oh dear - that went downhill sharply :/

#2 Posted by David on 20 Jan 2020 at 11:51 AM

Looks great!

#3 Posted by bob on 20 Jan 2020 at 12:06 PM

class
Thumbs up from me

#4 Posted by James Hepburn on 20 Jan 2020 at 12:18 PM

Great to see Glasgow continuing to set the bar at mundane. What an eyesore.

#5 Posted by Charlie_ on 20 Jan 2020 at 12:32 PM

Disappointing to see the quiet revisions to the scheme - cheaper materials, much less depth to the facades/windows, fins at the roofline lost. The council roll over again.

#6 Posted by Asimov on 20 Jan 2020 at 15:12 PM

SIX hotels next to each other and ZERO reason for Glaswegans to be in this area. Bravo.

#7 Posted by Dulnain on 20 Jan 2020 at 16:10 PM

Has the Council asked if these large hotel buildings can be repurposed when the world wide tourist boom runs its course? The same question applies to the vast number of student bed spaces springing up throughout our cities.
Neither of these uses contributes to the vitality of the living city!

#8 Posted by wonky on 20 Jan 2020 at 16:41 PM

Really disappointing compromise to the aesthetics of the original design- practically mutilated the original that was passed by planning- especially when you consider the views coming over the bridge into Central by train/ have these corporate companies no pride in their own image? Short term profit and cost-cutting trumps all other concerns apparently.
Asimov, these are hotels, so they will be used by tourists, for the most part, not 'Glaswegians'- I could mention a few reason people would want to be in that area: the river, architecture, St Andrews Cathedral or Carlton Place; or that Glasgow Green is a short walk or the likes of Trongate 103, including Sharmanka- or even St Enochs underground station or Central a short walk away or Argyle Street & Buchanan Street on the doorstep- is that not enough? Once these and the other hotels are built then the area will be busier & residents, possibly even locals, will visit these hotels different bars & restaurants- what's negative about that?

#9 Posted by Asimov on 20 Jan 2020 at 16:59 PM

wonky: Trongate/Sharmanka are half mile away from this place. My point is, what was the last time you say spontaneously 'Hey, let's meet next to the Eurohostel and have fun there'. This is rhetorical question of course.
Hotels alone do not generate hustle and bustle, same for student flats - get in, get out, take a taxi and go.

There are just handful places where you can grab a drink south of George Square after midnight (Max's at Queens Street, Boteco/Maggie Mays) making them quite overcrowded immediately. I wish to see a proper development of the river side - pubs, bars, proper nightlife. A destination itself, not a drive/cycle/run through passage. Something like Navigli in Milan, with obviously much lower expectations.

#10 Posted by Ross on 20 Jan 2020 at 18:20 PM

#9 - I could honestly name about 30 or 40 bars/ restaurants south of George Square. Do you live in Glasgow?!

#11 Posted by Billy on 20 Jan 2020 at 21:37 PM

I like it. No hotel groups build if the demand is not there. The demand is thankfully. Being the gateway to the Highlands, the conferences, the concerts, 2nd biggest shopping centre outside of London, the football fans and the tourists help fuel the demand. These sites would remain vacant if not for the hotel industry. The students need accommodation and fuel the demand there. The hotels and student accommodation are vital to the local economy. Let’s celebrate that Glasgow has a thriving tourist and conference trade and that students want to educate themselves in Glasgow. The shops, pubs, taxis and restaurants all benefit and keep people in employment. There are still a lot of sites available for flats to be built....one being the St Enoch car park.

#12 Posted by Asimov on 21 Jan 2020 at 09:53 AM

#10 After midnight? Exclude clubs and carry on.

#13 Posted by wonky on 21 Jan 2020 at 14:09 PM

Many young tourists will go to sub-club Ivory Blacks, Audio, Cathouse or Club Tropicana further up- or the short journey to Tuxedo/Distrikt etc at Merchant City or the neds with money frequented cluster at Royal Exchange Square- there are plenty of after midnight places to go close by. In terms of pubs there's Clutha, Scotia, Sloans, or October in Princes Square/ or maybe go to the 02 for a gig or Citz for a play? There's a lot to do around that area even if the actual location is fairly quiet at present.

#14 Posted by Edward Harkins on 21 Jan 2020 at 15:08 PM

Can we anticipate that the next decision over the longer term will be, 'Let's just permit demolition & removal of that original old Custom House building - it doesn't really belong there'? Contemporary hotels as the new built heritage?

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