November 29 2021

Elderpark Housing Association has extended their regeneration of Govan with a further 45 homes at Nimmo Drive designed to housing for varying needs standards though, owing to financial viability, not the Glasgow Standard.

Twin flanking corner blocks divided by Elderpark Street have been identified for the build, home to Elderpark Community Centre and a former warehouse. Led by the JR Group with Mast Architects accommodation will rely solely on on-street parking, freeing up amenity space behind both blocks and the potential to connect with an existing community garden.

In their design statement, the architects observed: "Main entranceways for the closes for both blocks are set back off the main tenement line on Elderpark Street. The facade carries on for a single storey to maintain the strong street frontages. This creates defensible open space courtyards at the closes.

"Stepping back units allows us to have achieve ramped barrier-free access to the wheelchair units whilst maintaining a +450mm floor level to provide privacy to the ground floor units. This also helps reduce the elevation massing."

Facades are to be articulated with recessed brick panels and buff brick soldier course detailing around windows, which include a lower spandrel panel to match the dimensions of adjacent tenement windows. Projecting sun pods will provide private external space to upper-level flats while ground floor apartments benefit from larger glazed openings and private terraces.

The range of one to three-bed apartments will range in size from 53sq/m to 93sq/m.  

8 Comments

#1 Posted by Noddy goes to town on 29 Nov 2021 at 16:55 PM

Good looking little project and really like the enclosed balconys, don't really think open balconys really work in the west coast of Scotland. Govan and Elderpark has changed so much in the last 10 to 15 years, long may it continue

#2 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 29 Nov 2021 at 19:08 PM

Pokey hat design vibe for the roof -- not good.
Lack of appropriate engagement with the existing buildings -- sloppy / lazy.

Filler but not much else.
Sun pod -- interesting if a bit optimistic.

#3 Posted by Spike on 29 Nov 2021 at 20:11 PM

Yes, I agree with the comments on the poor design for roof and lack of engagement with the existing buildings.

#4 Posted by Sue Pearman on 30 Nov 2021 at 10:38 AM

To me it looks like someone found the the 'point drag' in sketchup. And more than a little incoherent in the overall design and detail.

#5 Posted by Georwell 84 on 30 Nov 2021 at 13:28 PM

Look what it does right - NOT low density , coherent with the urban grid , decent materials. Wish other housing associations would stick to these principles in Central Glasgow.

#6 Posted by Design R Us on 30 Nov 2021 at 13:51 PM

Cannot see how the sun pods do anything for the design and would be interesting to see how they work with the daylight calculation for rest of the room.

#7 Posted by Hamish Ashcroft on 30 Nov 2021 at 16:37 PM

#5, absolutely agree. To me the roof is pretty inconsequential compared to the good things in this development, of which there are many; it’s attractive, regenerating deprived area, social housing, high density, limited parking, has similar massing and scale of surrounding buildings, repairing street frontage, energy efficient etc. My only question about it is, what is the existing building and could it not be refurbed instead? There is plenty of unused or underused land nearby that this housing could be built on instead

#8 Posted by pooka on 1 Dec 2021 at 12:44 PM

build tower blocks - nice density, lots of open space.... who cares what they look like or what they contribute to the city.... it's not as if this is an architecture forum...oh, wait

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