Architectural Position

Glasgow Building Preservation Trust Institute

The proposed GBPT Institute seeks to extend the public realm inward, creating a new “Glasgow Room” within the city’s continuum of historic spaces. Rooted in the ethos of the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, the project repurposes heritage architecture to serve contemporary civic life, ensuring Glasgow’s stories and built identity remain alive for future generations.

A key design move introduces a break in the urban grid, connecting Sauchiehall Street and Renfrew Street to form an accessible civic threshold. The spatial journey unfolds as a theatrical procession—transitioning from compression to openness—culminating in a grand multifunctional hall. This central space, constructed in sandstone as a tribute to Glasgow’s architectural fabric, is conceived as a flexible venue that accommodates a variety of uses: from public talks, markets, and exhibitions to moments of quiet rest and reflection.

Rather than over-prescribing the programme, the design leaves the space open to interpretation, empowering the community to shape its purpose. The building acts as a beacon, its structure emerging from the monolithic stone base, echoing the city’s historic landmarks while signaling a vision for the future.

Through this synthesis of preservation and innovation, the GBPT Institute becomes more than a building— it is a living civic room that adapts with the rhythms of the city, celebrating both its heritage and its evolution.

Site, Sequence, and Experience

With the programme arrangement guided by the site’s history, a theatrical procession into the main public space unfolds through the primary Sauchiehall Street entrance. This journey is defined by a sequence of spatial compressions and releases, moving through the existing building. It begins with a moment of compression, offering a glimpse of openness, followed by another constriction, and finally expanding into the grand openness of the main space. A large curtain at the threshold between the existing structure and the new space further transforms the experience, altering the user’s perception with each visit. The spatial and material qualities of the main space also shift with the time of day and the nature of the activity, whether it’s a casual stroll, a public talk, a market, or an evening event.