Clyde Campus

The Challenge
The redevelopment of Clyde Campus is part of the fifth stage of a larger programme initiated by Glasgow City Council to re-build and modernise its pre-12 and special education estate. At the heart of the project is the Council’s desire to create an effective educational environment which takes a holistic approach to the design process by combining social, economic and environmental goals, resulting in a sustainable architecture, culture and landscape.

The Solution
The architectural response to the site has a central assembly hall and four radiating wings. This radial plan divides the site and avoids large elevations to the street edge, which is surrounded by low-density, two-storey housing. The design aims to create a new, accessible, attractive, welcoming and sustainable campus with shared community amenities with clear public frontage to the building.

The facades have been composed to reflect the differing functions in each wing through choice of material and scale.

The majority of the building is clad in a bespoke blend of Forterra’s Dark Tame Valley and County Multi Dragfaced Blend bricks, which evokes a sense of solidity and robustness. Lightweight metal cladding breaks up the brick expanse, helping to identify the campus’s different functions.

The Benefits
The new campus has successfully brought together nursery and primary age schooling under one roof with a range of enhanced facilities for pupils and for the wider community. The choice of building materials is an integral part of defining the different areas on site, from gym halls, to Early Years and classroom blocks.