After a successful bid for a £1.2m grant from the National Lottery Community Fund in 2017, emerging Scottish architecture studio New Practice builds on an important history of education and activism to revitalise this early 20th-century local asset in the Southside of Glasgow – welcome to the refreshed Kinning Park Complex.
Originally built as an extension to the former Lambhill Street school in 1916, the building had undergone several changes in use and ownership since the school’s closure in 1976, including as a neighbourhood centre run by Strathclyde Regional Council, which in turn closed in 1996. At that point, local mothers who relied on the building for childcare joined forces with campaigners in the area to occupy it for 55 days, leading the council to hand keys back to the community for a modest rent; both the building and the organization that runs it became known as Kinning Park Complex.
For its latest chapter, this resilient building, which has served its communities and been protected by them for more than 100 years, has prompted an architectural response that ‘centres on accessibility and heritage to ensure longevity’ through adaptive re-use and conservation of materials.
A central tenet of the proposal was to make the most of Kinning Park Complex’s heritage and existing structure to create functional, flexible, and accessible community and creative workspaces across all three storeys of the building. Key to the success of this was the opening up the original double-helix staircase to aid with visibility, safety, security and access. This also created opportunities for an enhanced understanding of the space, allowing natural light to filter in from the existing rooflight.
Access and wayfinding are enhanced through use of colour, with each floor painted using tones found in the building’s original plasters. This ensures that users with needs ranging from mobility and health concerns to English as a second language are able to navigate the floors independently. A new platform lift ensures level access throughout.
As a ‘radical organization that is [at the same time] a place of comfort’, Kinning Park Complex’s refurbishment shows that even a building that was designed more than a century ago can be adapted and re-used to accommodate a diverse intersection of human needs, from community and citizenship to creativity and physical and mental wellbeing.
INFORMATION
-
At Milan Design Week, 'Material Alchemists' marks the Wallpaper* Class of '25Our own exhibition brings together 20 emerging designers from around the world giving matter form with magic
-
Introducing Wallpaper’s new video series, The Stuff That SurroundsIn The Stuff That Surrounds, Wallpaper* explores a life through objects. First up, we go inside the eclectic Barbican flat of creative director and designer Veronica Ditting
-
A new London design show explores material magic with medieval melancholyInspired by deconsecrated monasteries, curator Jermain Gallacher takes us on a journey through time and mood in a London exhibition at The Ragged School
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in OxfordThe Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodellingNorth Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its gardenArchitects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional spaceA multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st CenturyThanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
-
'Bold and unapologetic', this contemporary Wimbledon home replaces a 1970s house on siteThis grey-brick Wimbledon home by McLaren Excell is a pairing of brick and concrete, designed to be mysterious
