Archial, part of the privately held international Ingenium Group, has completed the £30 million Langside College in Glasgow on time and within budget following a 2.5 year project working on site on a design and build contract novated to Balfour Beatty.

The new 14,000 sqm facility accommodates: drama; music; sports; science; computing; languages; mathematics; health & beauty and engineering courses within two distinctive buildings.

Robert Paterson, Vice Principal of Langside College, said: “We’ve been very impressed with Archial, who have become part of our team at Langside. They’ve been completely interpretative of our brief and have guided us through the design process; taking our input on board and introducing enhancement where required.

“The way that Archial approached the project allowed us to work with them in a very focused way. Archial were very receptive to what we wanted and we found that to be a very positive experience. It’s already evident that the new building has had a marked effect on both the attraction and retention of students.”

-- Advertisement --

The main teaching block is five storeys high and finished with terracotta rain-screen cladding and coloured Trespa panels whilst the drama and music building, clad in Kalzip aluminium sheeting and render, sits on top of the existing hillside, providing a distinctive entry point for visitors arriving to the campus.

Archial Project Director Chris Cockburn said: “A key factor in winning this commission was our consideration of the estate masterplan; capitalising on the site’s very important strategic location on one of the busiest streets on the south side of Glasgow.

“We proposed to open up a pedestrian route from Battlefield Road to Langside railway station and on this route we proposed setting two high quality buildings around a central courtyard space which would double up as a performance venue and new public square.

“The construction was a challenge as this was a live campus on a very busy thoroughfare but, through careful phasing of the works, the project team managed to carry out the project with minimal disruption to the college.”

All Langside College buildings are now complete and occupied by students, with the external sports pitches on schedule for completion by end of the year. Since opening in 1947, Langside College has offered learning and training opportunities to students from Glasgow and beyond and has established itself as a major player in the Scottish educational scene.

One of the UK’s leading practices, Archial is an architectural specialist with public and private-sector clients. Its diverse international portfolio includes work in corporate, education, government, healthcare, industrial, mixed-use, residential, retail and transport sectors and it employs approximately 300 employees in offices throughout England and Scotland. The award winning Archial organisation has been known for delivering intelligent solutions that combine creative excellence with commercial success.

(GK)