Glasgow Institute of Architects – Visit to Civic House

We are delighted to welcome the Glasgow Institute of Architects (GIA) and Rob Morrison, Director of Agile City, for GIA’s next Sustainability Tours and Talks Event exploring Civic House on April 18th.

Thursday, April 18

6 – 7 PM

FREE but Ticketed 

Civic House was built in the 1920’s as a print works. Since 2017 Agile City CIC have been redeveloping the building as a hub of cultural and social enterprise. In 2018 Collective Architecture were commissioned to develop an ambitious retrofit strategy with the brief for the building to become to become a small-scale power plant. By dramatically lowering the heating demand and producing electricity via PV the building now generates twice as much electricity as it consumes over the course of a year.

The project is an exemplar for the creative reuse of post-industrial cities’ former factories and warehouses, which are often left to fall derelict despite their architectural value and cultural heritage. These buildings that once supported industrial growth – and an explosion in carbon emissions – can now support new green industries and a low-carbon future.

Built in the 1920s, Civic House is located just north of Glasgow city centre in a quarter now known as Speirs Locks. This was once part of a thriving industrial district that grew up around the Port Dundas terminus of the Forth and Clyde canal. But following the building of the M8 motorway in the 1960s, the already declining area became a post-industrial island – cut off from its inner-city context by the canal to the east, the M8 to the south and a busy road to the west.

Join us on April 18th for a talk and tour of Civic House.

ABOUT THE GIA:

The Glasgow Institute of Architects (GIA) is the largest Chapter in the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS). With over 1600 members located from the Scottish Borders to the islands of Argyll, the chapter covers a diverse membership. The Glasgow Institute of Architects’ main focus is to engage with its members to provide a supporting role and in the promotion of architecture in the Chapter Area.

We recognise the work of our local architects as well as the students of the two schools of architecture based within the chapter area through our awards programmes and endeavour to foster a knowledge-sharing culture through our CPD and events programmes as well as through our Small Practice Group.

Read more about the GIA HERE