AN UNDERUSED office building in Glasgow city centre is to be demolished and replaced with purpose-built student accommodation.
Mosaic Architecture + Design has submitted a planning application on behalf of Courie Investments for the £30 million project, which aims to provide 147 studio apartments suitable for a wide range of letting options, and other facilities.
The plans come after an assessment of the existing building concluded that it has to be demolished because of structural issues.
Mosaic pledged that the new building would “meet the highest standards” in student residential design, providing a mix of accommodation and “innovative” amenity spaces. It will be designed for low-energy operation and aim to achieve a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) rating of “very good”.
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The site sits on the corner of West George Street and Blysthwood Street and overlooks Blythswood Square within the Glasgow city centre conservation area.
Neil Haining, director of Mosaic, said: “The design of this new development has been carefully considered in response to the site’s immediate context. The proposed massing and facades harmonise with the existing heights and rhythms of the buildings on West George Street and Blythswood Street, blending in with the neighbourhood’s architecture.
“We believe that this PBSA (purpose-built student accommodation) will help re-populate the city centre and provide a new use on an under-used site.”
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Andrew White of Courie Investments added: “There remains significant demand for student accommodation – according to Savills research there are four students for every PBSA room available in Glasgow for the 2023/24 academic year.
“The problem is expected to worsen, with the student age population in the Glasgow City Region expected to increase by 3.7% to 2032, and Glasgow’s three largest institutions all targeting significant growth in their latest published strategic plans.
“There are several benefits of locating PBSA within the city centre, notably that the proposal will assist with realising the council’s vision to double the city centre population to 40,000 by 2035.”
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