A COMMERCIAL hub for small firms and start-ups in the creative industries has secured tenants for more than 50 per cent of its newly extended premises, less than a month after its launch.
Phase two of The Whisky Bond, based at Speirs Locks in the north of Glasgow, was completed at the start of the month. It takes the total commercial capacity at the site to 100,000 square feet spread over seven floors.
The £5 million Whisky Bond development is spearheaded by the Glasgow Canal Partnership. Comprising Scottish Canals, Glasgow City Council and the private ISIS Waterfront Regeneration, it is engaged in projects to regenerate the Glasgow stretch of the Forth and Clyde Canal.
The Whisky Bond's original tenant was the Glasgow Sculpture Studio, whose need for a new home sparked the beginning of the building's regeneration in 2010.
That subsequently led the developers to target the creative industries, which employ 25,000 people in the city, for other tenants.
Development manager Gary Watt said: "We thought if we could provide an environment for those businesses, then it would fit nicely with the artists in the sculpture studios. That was the grand idea, really.
"We did the project in two stages, converted the lower four floors and opened them in 2012, and then finished the upper three floors in the last three weeks."
Scottish Opera, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Glue Factory Gallery took space after phase one was completed in 2012, alongside Network Five Architects, Flux Laser Studios, IC Mobile Lab and The Distillery.
They have now been joined at the site, built as a whisky bond in the late 1950s and latterly home to a mushroom factory, by Make Works, Tenslens, Dynamically Loaded, RHA Audio and Maeve Redmond.
Sixteen of the 38 new work spaces made available under phase two have been taken, with the building now home to an eclectic mix of companies. Tenants range from designers and architects, tech companies and cutting-edge manufacturers involved in headphones and filtered sunglasses.
Mr Watt said the response to the building has been "well beyond our expectations", noting that "the amount of talent in there wows you on a daily basis".
He said: "We thought the reputation would build gradually and gently, and people will take the step maybe towards building a business there, but those first three or four weeks were manic. But it is a good problem to have."
Asked why tenants have been attracted to The Whisky Bond, he cited the contrast it offers to traditional office premises.
"When you come inside the design of the building is very much of an industrial aesthetic," he explained. "It's quite a raw space, it has concrete floors and it has exposed services.
"So it's quite a different feel - it's not a traditional office or workplace in any way - and it appeals to creative types. It gives them a raw canvass to work on."
Beyond the physical make- up of the building, he highlighted the "atmosphere and energy" of the space.
Steps are taken to foster creativity and build a sense of community through events such as a graphic design festival and presentations by tenant businesses.
"We've already seen smaller businesses bump into each other and ideas spark," Mr Watt said.
"I think it's a combination of the design of the place to the energy and activity that's going on."
Mr Watt also said the rates have also been constructed to ensure they are simple and competitive for smaller businesses.
"Property has a history of having long leases, complex negotiations and hidden service charges," he said. "Whereas what we have is an all-inclusive price, so you get your rent, service charge, heating, power and access to super-fast fibre internet connection.
"You can come up, sign up and be in the next day, and it's a simple one-off tariff. That I think has definitely appealed to people."
Mr Watt hopes the commitment made by these businesses will raise awareness of Speirs Lock, which is based close to the Cowcaddens and St George's Cross subway stations, in the city.
He said: "It was one of those areas that probably failed the taxi test - you didn't really know where it was and didn't have a reason to go there.
"Oddly enough, when the recession came in 2008 it gave us the opportunity to think differently about the place and how we could use the vacant buildings and land that was there.
"Before then everyone was in a rush to build new apartment blocks with these regeneration projects."
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