December 16 2021

Drum Property Group has begun construction on a 75,000sq/ft office block at Glasgow's Buchanan Wharf to serve as the headquarters of the Student Loans Company.

Up to 1,100 staff will migrate to the building on a 20-year initial lease in 2023, joining the Barclays Northern European campus which is already operational.

Graeme Bone, group managing director of Drum Property Group, said: “Drum is set to realise its exciting development vision, forged just four years ago, of transforming what was a large neglected industrial brownfield site into a thriving commercial and residential community, becoming an integral part of Glasgow’s expanding city centre. Despite facing the extreme economic and logistical challenges experienced during the last two years, this development has now re-energised this waterfront area which has always been a barometer of Glasgow’s commercial success. It once again places the River Clyde at the heart of the city’s economic and cultural regeneration.”

Financed by Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) Real Assets, who are already delivering a separate 18-storey apartment tower that is scheduled to complete next year, the offices form part of a government decentralisation drive.

Neil Dovey, head of annuity transaction for LGIM Real Assets, added: “The investment demonstrates our continued commitment to the regions, the levelling up agenda and the growing strength of regional hubs across the UK. The government’s commitment to levelling up, including improving infrastructure, means regional towns and cities have the potential to take the lead on building the strongest possible recovery."

Barclays unveiled its riverside campus in October, the lynchpin of a broader masterplan for the district prepared by Stallan-Brand and Halliday Fraser Munro.

8 Comments

#1 Posted by Jaded on 16 Dec 2021 at 14:16 PM

Fantastic.

Well done to all involved. What a fantastic addition to the city.

#2 Posted by E=mc2 on 17 Dec 2021 at 00:19 AM

That actually looks ok for a HFM/CC scheme. How did that happen?

#3 Posted by Roddy_ on 17 Dec 2021 at 02:19 AM

So not only only do we sanitise the corner of Kingston St with non-active frontage (BTR resi blocks and energy centre) , we do the same on Commerce Street too with an office. Not- in my submission- the way to regenerate the adjacent streets of Tradeston - but then the Stallan Brand 'masterplan' didn't code the plan to avoid these obvious mistakes and the planners don't seem that interested in pulling the developers up over this kind of thing . Urban design 101. Tradeston, it seems, looks as though it might be on the future hit list for resi developers and we need to be doing better than this.

#4 Posted by Whispering Andy on 21 Dec 2021 at 13:57 PM

Whisper it........but that is no-nonsense fantastic design! Bravo.

What a great addition that campus will be to the city.

#5 Posted by You are having a laugh on 22 Dec 2021 at 14:13 PM

Gotta be having a laugh, or involved in the projects with those comments surely?

Looks a dogs dinner of cladding systems chucked together by folk that have no idea or ambition with what they are doing.

What an absolute state.

#6 Posted by Bob Smith on 23 Dec 2021 at 09:47 AM

Unquestionably the best development to happen in Glasgow for decades

#7 Posted by Whispering Andy on 23 Dec 2021 at 12:20 PM

Whisper it.........but @5 the world is full of crushing bores, dont be one of them.

#8 Posted by John Mulhearn on 24 Dec 2021 at 18:53 PM

Hats off to the Drum team, Buchanan Wharf is a class act.

Post your comments