One of Glasgow's most recognisable industrial landmarks has been brought back into use following a major retrofit of the city's Glue Factory, creating a warm, affordable and flexible base for local groups and businesses.
Built in 1891 for the British & Foreign Aerated Water Company and the Scottish Adhesives Company, the building lay empty for decades before being reinvented in 2011 by artists, designers, architects and musicians as a non-profit creative space.
Backed by £188,533 from SP Energy Networks' Transmission Net Zero Fund, the latest project has delivered external wall insulation, triple-glazed windows, insulated doors, air source heat pumps, electric and thermal batteries, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. The result is Scotland's first inner-city retrofit campus, providing 20,000 square feet for workspaces, training, events and community activity.
The initiative sits at the heart of a growing retrofit campus led by Agile City, following the award-winning Civic House retrofit in the city centre, which was supported by SP Energy Networks' Green Economy Fund and is now a hub for social, cultural and green enterprise.
Graham Campbell, Director at SP Energy Networks, said: "Glasgow is full of incredible historic buildings and the transformation of the Glue Factory shows how they can become workspaces and community hubs that are fit for the future.
"The Agile City team has shown how an energy efficient retrofit can take a crumbling building and regenerate it into a hub for innovation and creativity. We're proud to have supported the transformation of the Glue Factory and Civic House to create Scotland's first inner-city retrofit campus, which will be an inspiration for communities in Glasgow and beyond."
A shared energy monitoring system now links Civic House and the Glue Factory, enabling performance to be tracked and lessons learned across both sites. The refurbished space consolidates workspaces, training, events and community activities under one roof.
The transformation also underpins a new Net Zero Training Programme delivered with local colleges and universities. The programme will host 140 sessions and engage more than 4,500 people — from students and tradespeople to community groups — to build the skills needed to retrofit homes and buildings across the city and beyond.
Since 2018, Agile City has invested over £2 million in creating the retrofit campus of spaces in Glasgow. The Glue Factory upgrade marks the final step in realising its vision for a flagship campus in Scotland.
Rob Morrison, Director at Agile City, said: "This funding from SP Energy Networks unlocked the full potential of our retrofit campus to make the Glue Factory a vibrant, inclusive space where people can work and learn. Together with our partners, we've set a new standard for retrofit projects in Scotland - helping create a community and business hub that's warm, welcoming and affordable."
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