03 | Concept

B A T H HOUSE KELVINGROVE PARK D E S I G N C O N C E P T

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

01

03 Contents A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park 01 Glasgow Public Bathing Studies 1.1 Historic Mapping Study 1.2 Arlington Baths 1.3 Govanhill Baths 1.4 Whiteinch Baths & Washhouse 1.5 Whitevale St Baths & Washhouse 02

03 Concept

02 Design Typology 2.1 Urban Form 2.2 Bath House Typology 2.3 Connection to water 2.4 Boat House Typology

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

03

04

03 Concept

01 GLASGOW PUBLIC BATHING STUDIES

GLASGOW PUBLIC BATHING STUDIES 01

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

05

04

WESTERN BATHS

11

WHITEINCH BATHS

* 08

CRANSTONHILL BATHS

15

STOBCROSS ST BATHS

01

VICTORIA PUBLIC BATHS [1837]

06

02

ARLINGTON PRIVATE BATHS [1871]

03 Concept

03

LONDON ROAD PUBLIC BATHS [1876]

04

WESTERN PRIVATE BATHS [1876]

05

KENNEDY ST PUBLIC BATHS & WASHHOUSE [1877]

06

GREENHEAD PUBLIC BATHS [1878]

07

N. WOODSIDE PUBLIC BATHS & WASHHOUSE [1882]

08

CRANSTONHILL PUBLIC BATHS & WASHHOUSE [1883]

09

TOWNHEAD PUBLIC BATHS & WASHHOUSE [1884]

10

GORBALS PUBLIC BATHS & WASHHOUSE [1885]

Glasgow Public Bathing Studies Historic Mapping Study

12

14

SPRINGBURN BATHS

HISTORIC MAPPING STUDY

MARYHILL BATHS

07

N. WOODSIDE BATHS

02

ARLINGTON BATHS

05

KENNEDY ST BATHS

01

VICTORIA BATHS

09

TOWNHEAD BATHS

17

16

WHITEVALE BATHS

BAIN SQUARE BATHS

18

KINNING PARK BATHS

10

GORBALS BATHS

03

LONDON RD BATHS

06 19

HUTCHESONTOWN BATHS

GOVANHILL BATHS

11

WHITEINCH PUBLIC BATHS & WASHHOUSE [1889]

GREENHEAD BATHS

13

12

MARYHILL PUBLIC BATHS [1896]

13

HUTCHESONTOWN PUBLIC BATHS [1897]

14

SPRINGBURN PUBLIC BATHS [1898]

15

STOBCROSS ST PUBLIC BATHS & WASHHOUSE [1899]

16

BAIN SQUARE PUBLIC BATHS & WASHHOUSE [1900]

17

WHITEVALE PUBLIC BATHS [1902]

18

KINNING PARK PUBLIC BATHS [1905]

19

GOVANHILL PUBLIC BATHS [1917]

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

07

MAP REF:

02

08

03 Concept

Glasgow Public Bathing Studies

Since its beginnings in 1871, the Arlington Baths Club has been a welcoming and peaceful sanctuary for citizens of Glasgow – offering a relaxing getaway right in the heart of the city.

The Baths is a private members club, run on a not-forprofit basis, with facilities for health, exercise and relaxation.

The traditional Victorian premises house a 21 metre skylit swimming pool, a unique Turkish suite, free standing hot tubs and a bright, modern gymnasium.

Arlington Baths was originally designed by architect John Burnett. The single storey building, which accommodated the pool, senior and junior bath areas and two changing rooms, was created in 1870. In 1875 a small extension was added in order to accommodate a new Turkish suite, and 18 years later, a second extension created space for a reading room and billiard room. In 1902, a first floor extension was added to one side of the building, giving it the form it has today.

One entered the building at the higher level through the arched entrance in the middle of the facade, coming straight out onto the transverse axis of the pool. From this point the emphasis of the building swung through ninety degrees onto the main axis of the pool hall along which the other accommodation was laid out. The hall itself reinforces the symmetry of the building by its imposing rhythm of exposed wooden roof trusses supporting a simple pitched roof lit by strips of glazing.

Also well worth mentioning was the plenum system used to heat the building. Whether by accident or design, this system, in which heated air is passed through the building by convection via ducts built into the fabric, owes its origins to the Roman hypocaust. It was an excellent system, ideal for use in the saturated atmospheres of swimming pools because it encouraged ventilation.

The first extension A Turkish Room plus ancillary accommodation was added in 1875, allowing the membership to increase to six hundred. The Turkish Room, which lies at the back of the plan and to the north of the original building, – so that it would have been visible from the street, – is justly well known. A Glaswegian homage to the Alhambra, consisting of a large square room, heated to high temperatures by plenum with tiled walls and floor and a beehive shaped roof studded with small star shaped windows glazed with coloured glass, sufficient only to light the space dimly. In an atmosphere of sepulchral calm the bathers recline on benches along the walls sweltering in superheated seclusion. No talking is allowed within the space.

The second extension By 1893 more space was again needed and an additional reading room and billiard room was constructed.

The third extension The entrance was moved from the centre of Burnet’s building to what now emerged as a kind of interregnum between the two phases of the street frontage.

The fourth extension In 1902 a further increase in membership convinced the Club that a further extension was necessary to create a new larger billiard hall and long gallery – now used as a gym – lit by a regular rhythm of single windows. Again exposed timber roof trusses and partial roof glazing are used to good effect in these spaces which are generally practical, well proportioned and enjoyed.

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

09

ARLINGTON BATHS

Arlington Baths

MAP REF:

19

10

03 Concept

Glasgow Public Bathing Studies Govanhill Baths

For many years, the usage of the baths was in sharp decline, with access to the general public being severely limited by “specialist” sessions where only certain members of the paying public were allowed in, and as a general amenity they proved to be non-viable. After the council closed the baths, the campaign to save Govanhill Baths began in December January 2001 which resulted in an occupation of the building by left-wing activists from March 17 until August 7, 2001 when Sheriff’s Officers accompanied by police removed the protesters and boarded up the pool. Since then, a growing community has continued campaigning for the redevelopment and reopening of the facilities to residents of Govanhill and surrounding communities.

The baths were designed by A B McDonald and opened in 1917 after the architect’s death. Designed in Edwardian Baroque style and built between 1914 -1917, Govanhill Baths were the only original substantially unaltered public baths in Glasgow still in use until closure in 2001. They contained hot baths in the upper storey and three swimming pools on the ground floor. There was a seating gallery around one of the pools for spectators attending events such as galas.

There was also a wash-house or “steamie” at the rear of the building, which was converted to a launderette in 1971.

The Govanhill Baths Community Trust organises fundraising events, sends out regular newsletters and runs the highly popular Govanhill Baths Open days in which members of the public are shown round the building for free.

The Trust in partnership with Nord Architects has developed the foyer and adjacent spaces of the building in the past 2 years to include a kitchen, meeting and event rooms, exhibition space and arts and crafts space

The red sandstone building containing three top-lit pools occupies an entire block in Calder Street. The main pool features a cast-iron railed gallery, original tiling, pool-side changing cubicles and a glazed roof supported by ferroconcrete arched ribs. There is a substantial steamie area at

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

11

GOVANHILL BATHS

the back of the building.

MAP REF:

11

12

03 Concept

Glasgow Public Bathing Studies

Whiteinch Public Baths was built between 1923 and 1926 by the Office of Public Works. The Whiteinch Public Baths and Wash-house were built next to the public halls in Whiteinch and the building contained a large swimming pool (75 feet x 35 feet); a small pool (40 feet x 20 feet); sixteen slipper baths for ladies and thirty-one for men; forty-three wash stalls; sixteen washing machines and (from 1926) a Turkish bath with room for twenty people. Sun lamps were later installed in the 1930s.

Currently the building is Category B listed.

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

13

WHITEINCH BATHS & WASHHOUSE

Whiteinch Baths & Washhouse

MAP REF:

17

14

03 Concept

Glasgow Public Bathing Studies

Whitevale Public Baths and Wash-house was opened on 17 May 1902 at 81 Whitevale Street by Lord Provost Samuel Chisholm. Unusually the facility included a reading room which was a branch of the city’s Libraries Department. Whitevale also differed from other baths in the city in that it contained a Turkish bath and a gymnasium. There were sixtysix washing stalls in the wash-house, which could be hired for tuppence (less than 1p) per hour. There was seating for 520 people and standing room for 250 more in a gallery around the men’s pool.

Ingeniously, the swimming pool could be drained and lined with seating to convert the space into a rudimentary concert hall, increasing the capacity of the men’s pool as a temporary public hall to 1,500 people.

A large predominantly two and three storey building complex. The west facing element is built of a high quality facing brick with red sandstone (ashlar) details at the windows and doors. This design style is repeated at the three storey east facing building at the opposite side of the complex, between a series of five north/south orientated pitched roofs which link the two end buildings and are faced on the north side by plan brick. To the south side of the complex a larger two storey plain red brick pitched roof structure encloses the southern elevation (demolished 2012). The entire complex was designed by A. B. McDonald and W. Sharp from the City Architects office.

The buildings are category B listed.

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

15

WHITEVALE BATHS & WASHHOUSE

Whitevale Street Public Baths & Washhouse

PUBLIC BATHS

PRIVATE MEMBERS-ONLY

21

GLASGOW SCOTSTOUN

23

WESTERN BATHS

24

UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW

20

RENFREW VICTORY BATHS

* 25

NUFFIELD HEALTH

22

GLASGOW BELLAHOUSTON

20

RENFREW VICTORY BATHS

16

03 Concept

21

GLASGOW CLUB SCOTSTOUN

22

GLASGOW CLUB BELLAHOUSTON

23

WESTERN BATHS

24

UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW SPORTS & RECREATION CENTRE

25

NUFFIELD HEALTH

26

ARLINGTON BATHS

27

GLASGOW CLUB NORTH WOODSIDE

GLASGOW PUBLIC BATHING FACILITIES Present Mapping Study

33

27

GLASGOW N. WOODSIDE

PRESENT MAPPING STUDY

Analysis of the current bathing facilities within the Glasgow area, highlights the necessity for a fully public bathing facility in the West End.

GLASGOW SPRINGBURN

26

ARLINGTON BATHS

28

OTIUM HEALTH & LEISURE

34

31

GLASGOW WHITEHILL

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE

29

LA FITNESS [GLASGOW]

35

GLASGOW TOLLCROSS

32

GLASGOW GORBALS

30

GOVANHILL BATHS

28

OTIUM HEALTH & LEISURE

29

LA FITNESS GLASGOW

30

GOVANHILL BATHS

31

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE SPORTS & RECREATION CENTRE

32

GLASGOW CLUB GORBALS

33

GLASGOW CLUB SPRINGBURN

34

GLASGOW CLUB WHITEHILL

35

GLASGOW CLUB TOLLCROSS INT. SWIMMING CENTRE

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

17

18

03 Concept

02 DESIGN CONCEOT

DESIGN TYPOLOGY 02

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

19

Glasgow

20

03 Concept

Glasgow City Centre Glasgow West End

KELVINBRIDGE Urban Form

02

GLASGOW URBAN GRID ///

GLASGOW URBAN LANES ///

Glasgow’s fragmented urban forms are testimony to the city’s past, define the city’s present and imply the city’s possible futures. Its distinct central grid and dense tenemental districts are defined by the River Clyde and River Kelvin, its urban parks and by urban voids created by a combination of absent industry, major transport infrastructure and vast tracts of windswept anti-urban Modernist space.

Delights of the West End include; Ashton, Cresswell and Dowanside Lanes – cobbled alleys off thoroughfare Byres Road, where quaint whitewashed buildings house bars and cafes.

The urban layout around the Kelvinbridge site is, indeed, fragmented and breaks the traditional grid form. It is my intention to ‘refill’ this area with a masterplan that not only creates a unique gathering point in the city but also relates to the historic railway use of the site.

These lanes are unlike the lanes of the city centre which are generally occupied by refuse bins and service ducts: these charming lanes are occupied by culture and life.

My bath house design hopes to take this form as a precedent to inform the design of a fully public building full of character and charm.

Lane

Form Utilitarian Function

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

21

URBAN FORM

01

BATH HOUSE ///

WASH HOUSE ///

BOAT HOUSE ///

Osborne Street Baths & Washhouse 22

03 Concept

GLASGOW PUBLIC BATHING STUDIES Bath House Typology

01

BATH HOUSE TYPOLOGY

BATH HOUSE SINGLE STOREY ///

02 BATH HOUSE MIXED MASSING /// A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

23

BATH HOUSE ///

Glasgow

24

03 Concept

WASH HOUSE ///

BOAT HOUSE ///

RIVER KELVIN

Connection with water

02

RIVER KELVIN SWIMMING & CANOEING ///

RIVER KELVIN FISHING ///

The Kelvin can be paddled from outside Glasgow right to the Clyde. There are some good rapids along the way and a fair number of weirs, some of which can be dangerous.

The Kelvin’s total length is 34 kilometres from its source at Wyndford to its confluence with the Clyde at Partick. The river offers a remarkable variety of fishing opportunities due to its length and nature – starting as a meandering stream crossing flood plains and ending as a dramatic river.

On its banks the river has witnessed the rise and fall of many industries: bleaching, dyeing, flour milling amongst others as well as being the sewer for our Victorian forefathers.

For a century its weirs and dams impeded the spawning salmon and the waste from industry killed all invertebrates and trout. However, the river now teems with life – Salmon are returning and good trout can be caught along its whole lengh.

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

25

CONNECTION TO WATER

01

BATH HOUSE ///

Glasgow

26

03 Concept

WASH HOUSE ///

River Kelvin Forth & Clyde Canal

BOAT HOUSE ///

RIVER KELVIN

Boat House Typology

01 BOAT HOUSE VERNACULAR MASSING ///

BOAT HOUSE TYPOLOGY

A boat house is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use.

In Scandinavia, the boathouse is known as a naust, a word deriving from Old Norse naverstaรฐ. These were typically built with stone walls and timber roofs and would be either open to the sea or provided with sturdy doors.

The floors would be a simple continuation of the beach sand or rock, or they might be dug down to permit a boat to sail into the boathouse.

A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

27

BATH HOUSE ///

21

WASH HOUSE ///

BOAT HOUSE ///

33

23

GLASGOW SCOTSTOUN

GLASGOW SPRINGBURN

WESTERN BATHS

24

27

UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW

*

GLASGOW N. WOODSIDE

26

ARLINGTON BATHS

28

OTIUM HEALTH & LEISURE

31

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE

25

34

GLASGOW WHITEHILL

NUFFIELD HEALTH

29

35

LA FITNESS [GLASGOW]

GLASGOW TOLLCROSS

28

03 Concept

32

GLASGOW GORBALS

KELVINGROVE PARK

Since ancient times public baths have played a central role in the unfolding of the city’s social life which under the mantle of physical culture and relaxation presented the opportunity for the most informal encounters.

I propose a new public facility on the edge of Kelvingrove Park accessible to all, bringing people from all walks of life into the heart of Glasgow’s West End.

west end of Glasgow: an area almost exclusively dominated by private, members-only bathing houses.

The historic form and ideology behind the Glasgow wash house and ‘steamie’ will inform the concept of this twenty-first century addition to one of Glasgow’s historic park landscapes.

My analysis of the current bathing facilities within the city has highlighted the need for a fully public bath house in the A Bath House in Kelvingrove Park

29

THE IDEAL LOCATION?

The ideal location for a public facility?

30

03 Concept