Date: 22 May 09
Author: Caroline Ednie, Web Editor
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Following a limited design competition Archial Architects were asked to carry out a feasibility for a social centre for health and well being within the Pollok Community. The brief was to regenerate and encapsulate the main civic functions of the area. It aimed to be the focal point for the wider community - to knit the commercial aspirations of the adjacent Silverburn development with the social requirements of the local area.
The principle architectural move was to create an open public route through the site and create a new public concourse space from which all services radiate. This concourse space acts as a hub for the community and its design allows for social gathering, exhibition and public address – expressing the notion of the traditional town square and town hall.
Included within the building are a one stop reception which serves a library, employment services, Pollok Kist museum, a cafe, IT training, child care, Citizen’s Advice, Stress Centre, bookable meeting rooms and refurbishment of the existing Pollok Leisure Centre. In addition to this the Civic Realm would provide a main door access to the newly extended and refurbished Pollok Health Centre also carried out by Archial.
The initial idea was to create a physical bridge between the community and the new shopping centre via a one stop social, health and education hub. The practice chose to design this space in a recognised typology of the shopping mall which would be both familiar and comfortable to the local community.
The resulting design was a development of the ‘bridge’ link by forming a colonnade of steel portals stretching between Peat Road and the new bus depot to the Silverburn side, these signalled entrance and axis clearly and reinforced the notion of 2 frontages. The spaces within the realm space pivot around the central high space and one stop reception, from this point a visitor can orientate themselves easily through visual links with all areas.
Since completion the project has met with wide public approval. Councilor Archie Graham, Executive Member for Culture and Sport Glasgow stated: "Pollok Civic Realm is an outstanding example of creating a community hub."
Project: Pollock Civic Realm regeneration
Architect: Archial Architects
Client: Glasgow City Council
Location: Pollok, Glasgow
Link: www.archialgroup.com
Images: Andrew Lee. Cick on images to enlarge.
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