150 St Vincent Street

Glasgow

Authority: Glasgow City Council

Proposal: Retrofit and Roof Extension

Services: Heritage, Townscape and Visual Impact Assessment

Status: Planning Approved

Iceni’s Built Heritage & Townscape Team assisted in securing planning permission for the for the refurbishment (internal and external), retrofit and roof extension of a 1970s office block in the middle of Glasgow Central Conservation Area. The Team produced a detailed Heritage and Townscape Visual Impact Assessment (HTVIA) and led on discussions with Historic Environment Scotland and Glasgow City Council on heritage matters.

150 St Vincent Street is an office block conveniently situated in the centre of the Business District of Glasgow on the slopes of Blythswood Hill. The block was constructed in the 1970s, clearing away the traditional stone terraced plots that fronted this section of St Vincent Street. The style of this building was very much of its time with reflective glass panelling and black granite cladding. The materials together with the staggered massing of the building was not well integrated within the townscape of the conservation area. Additionally the energy performance of the building was relatively poor and they layout was no longer fit for modern standards of working spaces.

The proposal was to refurbish the interior and exterior as well as to retrofit it to a standard making it the “greenest office space in Glasgow”. The heritage team advised on the design of the new proposal to make it fit better in the townscape in regards to massing and materials. The 3D modelling software was also used to mitigate the impact of the increased massing on the surrounding listed buildings and Conservation Area. Approval was given in December 2022. .