Aluminium solutions help give Glasgow’s historic Meat Market a new lease of life

Senior products at Glasgow affordable housing site

SENIOR Architectural Systems has provided a trio of products as part of the creation of a new residential scheme located on the former derelict site of Glasgow’s Grade II listed Meat Market.

The new affordable housing scheme, which shares its name with the city’s historic market area that dates back to the 1870s, has been developed by housing association Home in Scotland and designed by architects JTP.

The development comprises four blocks ranging from four to six storeys that house a total of 252 one and two-bedroom apartments.

Accessibility has been a key factor, with four individual apartments on each floor arranged around a central stair and lift shaft to provide wheelchair access throughout. Senior’s aluminium products were fabricated and installed to this main core area by supply chain partner Scottech.

The firm’s slim profile SF52 aluminium curtain wall system was installed to each of the stair towers to help increase the flow of natural light and create a ‘welcoming and accessible’ area. Daylighting was further enhanced through the use of Senior’s automatic opening ventilation (AOV) aluminium windows. Based on the same aesthetic design as the manufacturer’s SPW600 aluminium window system, Senior’s AOV version is fitted with a smart actuator which is designed to allow for ‘quick and automatic’ ventilation in the event of a fire to help to remove smoke from the air.

Senior products at Glasgow affordable housing site

To complete the package, Senior provided its SPW501 anti-finger trap aluminium commercial doors. Above the door and suspended from the curtain wall is a glass canopy to provide a degree of shelter from the elements for the residents of the development.

Established in 1879, the Glasgow Meat Market was one of the last remaining markets in the country until it closed in the 1980s. The market, located near Duke Street and Bellgrove Street in Glasgow, is part of a multi-million project to conserve and regenerate the area.