Spectrum Glasgow : Information + Images

1999-2000 gm+ad Architects Photos : Andrew Lee Refurbishment and extension of a 1960’s office block in central Glasgow. Nicknamed ‘Turkey in Bacofoil’ (architects' favourite) and ‘Kit-kat’ the building's key feature has to be the shiny Bright Annealed marine grade stainless steel [grade reference is 316 (1.4404)] cladding. The south front is a clean slice of glass curtain walling, but the East end becomes more sculptural. The building bows out and up, with random miniature windows to the north façade. The Spectrum interior is a clean renovation and pales into insignificance compared to the imaginative exterior: this building uses modest means to maximum effect and some architects may think this is all foil wrapping and no substance. The shimmering sea of shiny silver sits atop a solid base of reflective black granite. This solid datum and the regular division of the facade help control the dynamic and random contortions of the cladding. The inflections and subtle modifications are for me more appealing than the wildness of say Gehry's Bilbao Guggenheim. Above all this is an amusing building, an uplifting beacon in a dour part of Glasgow. Adjacent building by Gordon Murray + Alan Dunlop Architects: Radisson Hotel Glasgow Spectrum Building Context : Sentinel Building by gm+ad photo : andrew lee