The genius loci of Glasgow consist on the multitude of puzzle pieces fitted together. It seems somewhat overlooked that the history of architecture holds in place so much about humanity and our customs. It is a testament of both our greatest and lowest achievements.
‘The Lighthouse’ is an urban building that has the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust as client, on the 520 Sauchiehall Street – 341 Renfrew Street plot. The trust aims to breathe life into abandoned buildings, refurbishing and repurposing them to be given back to the people and the city. Considering the client, the theme of this project is ‘puzzle pieces’. It will constitute a way of acknowledging their implication in society, and the new quarters will be a visual representation of their ethos.
The scheme aims to create interconnectivity in between multiple aspects of society and built environment: the site and the area around it, the sequencing of internal spaces, the connection in between people and the public building. All of these will be interwoven with sustainability, adaptability and accessibility principles, which dictate the integration of the building to modern standards.
The site, placed on one of the main shopping streets of Glasgow, is hosting an old music lounge-turned-cinema-turned-club, which has been closed in the last decade. It is on the Buildings at Risk list, and the facades present a category B listed historical value. The building presents an intricate system of small and quite awkward rooms, with multiple noted alterations influencing the shape, materiality and style of it. This allows for the added feeling of puzzlement.
Considering the client’s aim to reintroduce the buildings into society’s use and their dealings with construction in general, I created a project worth remembering. I designed a building deemed to be appreciated as an object in itself, not only through the inhabitable space in the interior. I delivered a scheme that will attract visitors curious to explore the inside of such an unexpected building. Through the materiality of the new exterior, the effect of a lighthouse is created- in the daytime, a faint occupancy is visible through the transparency of the glass bricks, while at night, the light from inside would shine as a beacon towards the exterior. The usage of reclaimed materials acts as a token to the historical nature of the site and of the client’s ethos.
The relationship between the old and the new was carefully considered. The retained was treated as historical ruins, from which the new built was raised. Remnants of walls, of materials, of spaces were saved all around the lower floors. Cornices or other elements from the demolition can be later hosted by the archive or exposed in the museum, noting closely the layers of history hosted by the building. The new is designed to create an opposition to the original, while maintaining a visual connectivity to the context, hence the introduction of glass bricks and the usage of retained bricks from demolitions. The double-skin system of glass bricks resolves lighting and ventilation issues raised by the site constrains. The introduction of circulation cores acts as both a structural and a accessibility element. These driven voids can be easily read in plan through their angled positioning, bringing dynamism in the project. They also act as lightwells, doubling as ventilation and escape cores. In section, the new and the old are visually divided by the creation of an urban garden on Level 03.
The building programme caters to internal occupants mostly through the Renfrew entrance, and to general public from the Sauchiehall one. The spaces are designed to attract constant influx of new people, and potentially create regular users outside of GBPT. The archive, museum and library, if fitted properly, can be used by the art students of GSA. The café, bar, and event spaces can host anyone.
The proposal aims to give the building back to the public, to create a space worth visiting and to allow more people to get interested in the work of GBPT, while giving them a permanent space for discussion and for public engagement.

When put in front of the task of capturing the feeling of Glasgow as someone newly moved into the city, I have realized that I view the city’s grid as interchangable pieces of a puzzle. This dictated the creation of Task 01: a series of 64 puzzle pieces designed to follow 7 patterns (see the diagrams on the adjacent page).

The drawing below represents a stylized version of the task for ease of understanding the arrangement. Based on this, the puzzle was also created as a laser cut transparent acrylic game (see next pages).

The point of the physical game was to encourage viewers to participate. The pieces are modular, generic, showing the arrangement of different blocks layouts, and they offer a multitude of ways of assembly. There are multiple correct ways to resolve and interpret this grid-puzzle.

In my opinion, it focuses on the journey of a pedestrian through the city. The edges of the pieces represent roads, paths, them being the main focus of the physical artefact. The boundaries of the buildings represented on the pieces are taken from the real life Glasgow blocks, and they represent a secondary focus of the artefact. They give a sense of space, of direction, while maintaining a sort of anonimity, of abstractiveness. they can be rearranged on will, as a tribute to the history of Glasgow and its tenements.

When looking at Tradeston, the need to reintegrate it into the fabric of the city is imminent. The area, though greatly placed in vicinity to river Clyde and in walking distance from the city centre of Glasgow, screams of disjointness of both style and society. The architectural fabric seems to send to a no-man-land, with an individualistic character, and historical diamonds hidden in the layers upon layers of neglect.

Through the redevelopment of Tradeston, we aim to breath in a feeling of connectivity and inclusivity. We are committed to deliver human-centered spaces, while celebrating the rich historical background of the site. We think that these should be spaces were people thrive, spaces that evolve with time and with their tenants’ requirements. They should reflect the diverse needs and backgrounds of the residents, while nurturing human interaction, well-being and community.

The housing scheme will sit in the 9 blocks adjacent to the new Barcley’s campus. Analysing the missing puzzle pieces of the area, we will take a layered approach to the buildings, creating opportunity for mixed-used developments, which can integrate commercial spaces, community centers, nurseries and a series of adaptable multi-use areas. The diverse housing typologies will cater to a wide range of people, mostly focusing on young adults or families, and the common spaces will be designed with community engagement in mind. Safety is a key aspect of the scheme, which will be delivered through better car control and circulation in the area, through smartly designed spaces that revolve around natural surveillance and well-lit public areas.

Connection with nature is a really important aspect of improving one’s well-being. Considering it is an urban site, natural elements will need to be brought back in the shape of green spaces, parks, courtyards, buffer zones, roof terraces. This will further the social integration, while starting a discussion on passive sustainable strategies.