GLASGOW City Council is set to launch a new competition to redesign Albert Cross after it was gutted by two major fires.
In the first significant project of its kind in the city, architects will be invited to pitch proposals for the renewal of the prominent sites in the heart of the city’s Pollokshields area.
Instigated by councillor Ruairi Kelly, convener for housing, development, and built heritage at Glasgow City Council, the contest’s winning designs will help restore the vibrancy and historic feel around the Albert Drive Town Centre.
Further to this, it is also hoped the tenement design contest can provide a template for developing sites in other areas that can be sympathetic to the heritage surroundings while incorporating innovative and sustainable approaches.
The distinctive, B-listed tenement blocks, which each housed several flats and businesses, were destroyed in separate fires, the first in November 2019 followed by the second in April 2020. Both blocks were later demolished.
Since then, the sites at the Albert Cross have lain derelict, depriving the community of much-needed homes and businesses and having a detrimental effect on the East Pollokshields Conservation Area.
Long-standing issues around complexities of ownership and the high costs of redevelopment costs means it is unlikely that either site will be progressed without direct intervention by the council.
Councillor Kelly said, “My intention is that the design and architectural excellence we have in Glasgow, and the prominence of the location, will mean we get some really innovative and exciting proposals.
“Albert Drive has been at the heart of the commercial and residential life of Pollokshields for over a century and these fires have been a tragedy for the area. So this is about restoring and enhancing the vibrancy and quality of this part of Pollokshields.
“Of course, as well as high quality designs, we want proposals which are sympathetic to the built heritage of the area – and to each other.
“Glasgow has a number of gap sites in areas with lots of tenemental and heritage properties and this could give us a blueprint for designs and approaches which be adapted elsewhere in the city.”
Under the plans, a partner organisation will be invited to administer the contest, which will be informed by a brief being developed by planning experts from Glasgow City Council. An open call will then be issued to Glasgow architectural design teams to ‘create an exceptional proposal for the redevelopment of two prominent sites in the historic Albert Drive Town Centre in East Pollokshields’.
To ensure the proposals deliver on design, community aspirations, and other criteria, a judging panel of design and heritage experts, planning and development officers, city councillors and local community representatives will contribute to the selection of the winning designs.
Niall Murphy, director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust, said, “East Pollokshields, arguably the UK’s oldest tenement conservation area, was established by the Maxwells of Pollok Estate in 1849 as a high-quality residential neighbourhood, complete with broad streets, handsome three-storey tenements and innovations like internal bathrooms. Although the loss of the two ‘B’ listed Albert Cross tenements has blighted the neighbourhood, it is an opportunity for renewal. This is a chance to re-invigorate the area through thoughtful Place-mending that should celebrate East Pollokshields’ rich Victorian architecture while reinstating Albert Cross as a vibrant, welcoming heart for the community once more. I look forward to seeing ambitious proposals from Glasgow architects.”
David Cook, chief executive of Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, added, “The two fires have been devastating for the area, but this competition will provide an opportunity to create high quality replacements. Glasgow needs many more homes to address the housing emergency and it will be great to stitch back new housing into the gap sites. There are many excellent architects in the city and hope they embrace the opportunity.”
Short-listed teams will also secure funding to help develop their proposals to a more detailed stage before a winner is chosen. The winning architects will then be funded to fully work up their design.
