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Gorbals, Glasgow

15 Jun 2016
News

One of the first and most symbolic of shifts to ‘remaking the street’ was the regeneration of this notoriously disadvantaged district of Glasgow. Starting in the mid-1990s, phases of low-rise housing masterplanned and partly designed by CZWG were implemented, replacing one of the most iconic of modernist housing estates.

The demolition of Hutchesontown C, a Brutalist high-rise complex by Sir Basil Spence, came after attempts to save the neo-Corbusian blocks through refurbishment and despite conservationist pressures. Spence famously pitched his design in highly poetic terms: ‘on Tuesdays, when all the washing’s out, it’ll be like a great ship in full sail’. But this vision sank quickly under the reality of social deprivation, poor maintenance, and design failures. The spectre of failure haunted the demolition, during which a spectator was killed.

In its place came several phases of development, including CZWG’s Crown Street plan and housing, which went on to win numerous awards. A decade later the same architects completed Queen Elizabeth Square, a refinement of their approach, with mixed low and mid-rise buildings around the streets and greatly improved public realm.

Client: Scottish Development Agency and Cruden Estates Architects: CZWG

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