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
-
Absolut is reviving Keith Haring’s 1986 poser with a vibrant limited-edition bottleThe Absolut Haring Artist-Edition bottle, released 40 years after Haring collaborated with the vodka brand, features his bold lines, electric colours and dancing figures
-
This hidden London culinary haven is a refreshing take on the steakhouseMr Porter, a new steakhouse, bar and lounge in central London's swish Mayfair, is a hidden haven of strong flavours and minimalist dining
-
Dine within a rationalist design gem at the newly opened Cucina TriennaleCucina Triennale is the latest space to open at Triennale Milano, a restaurant and a café by Luca Cipelletti and Unifor, inspired by the building's 1930s design
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth IIFor the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots togetherWolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshopNew Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilionLego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interiorAbbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
-
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready to visit, ‘an exhibition you can use’The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready for its public opening on 6 June; we toured the structure and spoke to its architect, Marina Tabassum
