West Dunbartonshire Council Architectural Services has just been completed construction work at Dalmuir Court, a 15 storey residential block in Dalmuir.

The council's Architectural Services is a multi-disciplinary section, specialising in architectural design and project management, engineering (structural, mechanical and electrical) and quantity surveying services including cost consultancy, and all fully supported by an experienced team of Clerk of Works.

Architectural Services administer and manage a variety of construction projects on behalf of the Council ranging from the upgrading of fencing and bin stores to the design of schools and public buildings.

Convenor for Housing, Councillor William Hendrie said: "The colour scheme for Dalmuir Court was chosen by the building's residents in accordance with West Dunbartonshire Council’s Tenant Participation Strategy.

"Also chosen by them was an option of having their balconies glazed-in, leading to a 22% enlargement of their living rooms, meaning more space but much lower space-heating costs, thanks to the new insulating layer around the building.

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"From the inside, the window sills are only about half the standard height off the floor and so an outstanding view of the Clyde estuary is afforded as well as providing the rooms with the maximum amount of natural light."

Executive Director for Housing, Elaine Melrose added: "It's a great advantage of having such a variety of complimentary specialist roles in the one department is that the production, management, vision and consultancy tasks can be integrated to an extent that would be the envy of the private sector."

Expertise is drafted-in from the private sector when necessary and on this particular project, specialist suppliers of cladding and roofing systems were involved from an early stage in determining the cost and technical feasibility of the various detailed construction methods, alongside their exact anticipated performance characteristics in the wind and rain.

At Dalmuir, a whole variety of options were examined in order to produce a design which not only addressed the technical needs of repair and improvement to an existing building but which also looked at ways to maximise and reflect community involvement with council tenants and private owners in the decision-making process to decide on the final scheme and to generate that feel-good factor of a building that is attractive in appearance to the community as a whole.

"Making good, new, environmentally responsible buildings out of older buildings can be quite testing, but Architectural Services are well equipped to cope with this considerable challenge," said Councillor William Hendrie, Convenor for Housing.

(GK/JM)