Glasgow Meat Market gets an aluminium makeover, ready for aesthetic residential intents

SENIOR Architectural Systems, a pivotal contributor to the new residential scheme, has introduced a trio of innovative products. These products have played an essential role in the metamorphosis of the once derelict site of Glasgow's Grade II listed Meat Market into a thriving community.

Image Source: https://www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk/

The new affordable housing scheme, a tribute to the city's historic market area that dates back to the 1870s, has been developed by the housing association Home in Scotland and designed by architects JTP.

The development comprises four blocks ranging from four to six storeys that house a total of 252 one and two-bedroom apartments.

Accessibility has been paramount, with four individual apartments on each floor arranged around a central stair and lift shaft to ensure wheelchair access throughout. Senior's aluminium products, expertly fabricated and installed to this main core area by supply chain partner Scottech, have significantly contributed to this goal.

The firm's slim profile SF52 aluminium curtain wall system was installed on each stair tower to help increase the flow of natural light and create a 'welcoming and accessible' area. Daylighting was further enhanced through the use of Senior's automatic opening ventilation (AOV) aluminium windows. Based on the same aesthetic design as the manufacturer's SPW600 aluminium window system, Senior's AOV version is fitted with an intelligent actuator, which is designed to allow for 'quick and automatic' ventilation in the event of a fire to help remove smoke from the air.

Senior provided its SPW501 anti-finger trap aluminium commercial doors to complete the package. Above the door and suspended from the curtain wall is a glass canopy to give a degree of shelter from the elements for the residents of the development.

Established in 1879, the Glasgow Meat Market was one of the last surviving markets in the country until it closed in the 1980s. The marketplace near Duke Street and Bellgrove Street in Glasgow is part of a multi-million project to conserve and restore the area. The new residential scheme shares its name with the city's historic market area. It is evidently a significant step in preserving the historical as well as socio-cultural essence of the Glasgow Meat Market.