The new home of the New Gorbals Housing Association is a bespoke office and civic piazza forming thecentrepiece of the Crown Street redevelopment in Glasgow. Our task was to design a building thatcould be easily adapted to provide a variety of workplace functions, future proof expansion, betterconnect the association with the wider Gorbals community with improved facilities for tenants andcultivate the social well-being and comfort of staff.
The building maintains a civic presence externally, with an expressive brick skin to visually connect theassociation to the wider Gorbals community. The facade is considered akin to a permeable ‘walledgarden’, maximising views out to the surrounding city, whilst focused on an internal workspace whichconceals an intimate south-facing courtyard garden. A large illuminated sign fixed to the building proudlyannounces ‘Gorbals’ as a landmark within the urban context.
The office environment is centred around a large timber clad atrium, uniting various teams around acommon circulation zone. The interior layout flows as one continuous room, with various niches offeringdegrees of privacy that range from larger communal working areas to private booths. Each spacebenefits from multiple aspect views through internal and external glazed partitions and windows, toensure each space is reconnected to the wider cityscape.
Feature zinc-clad elements are interlaced with red brick walls to provide contrast along the principalelevations. Ground floor glazing is recessed within the depth of the piers to provide privacy to theinternal workspace, whereas first floor glazing maximises views out by stepping forward. The northfacing aspect provides a consistent and even light suited for a bright and comfortable workingenvironment, whilst avoiding summer overheating and unwanted glare. The building steps in heightalong the east elevation to connect with the adjacent housing development. To the north, the buildingmaintains a human scale to avoid overshadowing the public piazza.
Material finishes were chosen for robustness and are present both internally and externally to create aunified building aesthetic. Red stock brick forms the predominant material, broken up internally bySiberian larch wall linings and Ash veneered MDF panels. Other internal finishes were chosen tocomplement the warm tones of the brick, such as orange MDF panels. In contrast, dark grey MDF andgrey paint applied finishes break up the spaces, echoing the grey zinc cladding used externally.
The principal spaces are naturally ventilated, taking advantage of cross ventilation across the atriumspace. NGHA were keen to maximise external views from all office areas, taking full advantage ofnatural daylight whilst relying on a natural ventilation strategy with minimal active cooling to ensure lowenergy use. All external services are concealed behind the Flemish bond brick openings that areexpressed on the external elevations at high level. The office features a bespoke engineered internalsmoke control system to allow the large open interior spaces to function without the need for curtains oradditional partitions. This strategy encompasses four large fans mounted within brick piers.
Material Used :
1. Ideal Combi - Alu-clad winodws FUTURA+
2. Forbo - Marmoleum Walton Rosemary Green
3. Latham Timber - Valchromat 19mm
4. Hunter Douglas - Siberian Larch Solid Wood Grille
5. SAS - SAS150 Suspended Metal Ceiling
6. Planet Partitions – Iso Clear
7. Russwood - Scotch Larch with SiOO coating
8. Rheinzink - Protect Graphite Grey
9. Ibstock - Heritage Red Blend
