THE BATHHOUSE REGENERATION overview_Photographs_Site response Development sketches_3D visualisations PLANS_SECTIONS_ELEVATIONS WORKING DRAWINGS_DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
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THE BATHHOUSE Overview
The Bathhouse project was the refurbishment of one of Glasgow’s last remaining bathhouse and washhouse’s into a modern art gallery. It had been in disrepair for a number of years. The refurbishment and redevelopment was carried out for Modern Institute. They are one of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries with several Turner Prize winners among the 35 artists that they represent. Relocating to Osborne Street in the Merchant City from elsewhere in Glasgow allowed the Modern Institute to be in the heart of the area’s growing visual art scene. Before the being was handed over from Glasgow City Council the extensive amounts of asbestos were removed from the building. Much of the exiting timber structure was carefully treated or replaced due to rot. On the ground floor a 120m2, flexible exhibition space was provided. This was located in the single storey volume of the existing building with a concrete floor and white walls. To the rear of the galley space all of the back-of-house rooms were grouped together as a cohesive element –WC’s, kitchen, workshop and storage rooms.
Externally the roof was replaced with quality slates and the existing stone facades were cleaned. A new feature window was added to the gallery owners’ office giving views out over the roof of the gallery space towards Glasgow City Centre. Consultation was held with the local people and housing groups where it became clear that the building was being accessed by local drug users. Their presence and the lack of security had lead to residents virtually never using the communal back court. The newly secure back court has already encouraged local residents to begin using this space again. The refurbishment of the building has encouraged other companies and groups to locate in the area. The building has truly become a catalyst for regeneration of the district. Four major exhibitions have been held to date with rave reviews. The project took only 105 working days on site to complete. The £500,000 budget was partly funded by The Merchant City Initiative.
From the main entrance space a timber stair was installed to lead to the first floor. This oak construction enveloped a bookcase of the same material. The oak of the stair was designed to continue as the floor finish at the first floor where the bookshelf also features. The first floor hosts a meeting space and an office area.
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Photographs Before
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Photographs Before
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Sustainability
Exiting rooflights were replaced and extended. These allow light into the main gallery space and first floor office and meeting area. This reduces the requirement for lighting in the building during daylight. The existing building had no insulation. A great deal of work was required to bring the building to modern insulation standards. The existing floor was dug out. Modern damp-proof membranes were laid along with floor insulation before a new concrete slab was poured on top. This resulted in the ground floor level being higher than previously which had to be dealt with at the entrances. The existing walls were constructed of stone and rubble. The approach taken was to build a cavity space within these walls before building a timber frame with insulation plasterboard within this. To the gallery space hardboard and plasterboard was provided to allow for exhibition mounting. The timber studs of the new walls were designed by the engineer to take high loads for future exhibitions. The existing timber roof trusses and metal pins were beautiful and defined the gallery and first floor office spaces. Therefore it was decided to place roof insulation above these elements along them to be exposed in the spaces rather than covered up. The result of the insulation build-up was that a completely new state roof finish was required at a slightly higher level than the previous one. A metal replacement gutter was provided to the front elevation along with a new zinc detail where the raised roof meets the existing wall. This subtle detail gives the viewer of the building a visual indication that a refurbishment has taken place using simple and quality materials that are appropriate for the building. The building in its refurbished form achieved a Building Energy Performance rating of ‘C’. The new bin store to the rear of the building allows for recycling facilities.
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Inclusive Design
At the font of the building existing openings have been reused as entrances. The main entrance is located hard onto the pavement, therefore an accessible ramp was not possible in this location. An accessible entrance with a ramp and handrail has been provided to the communal back court. The main entrance accesses into an area that is monitored by the gallery staff from their office area. Orientation within the building is instantly achieved when entering here since the new stair is located directly ahead and the gallery space is also visible from here. An accessible wc and a male and female wc are grouped together along with other support spaces. These are accessed from a corridor that is also accessible from the main entrance. The glazed window which forms the other opening to the front of the building is also a sliding door. This acts as an automatically opening escape in the event of a fire and a large access point for artwork directly into the gallery space from the street. The open plan gallery space has its lighting, heating and openable rooflights provided at high level along with power sockets in the floor and walls to each structural bay. This allows for temporary partitions to be erected to any bay giving maximum flexibility in terms of the space required for an exhibition. The ground floor consists of a robust concrete floor. This gives a level of durability that has already hosted a large sculpture exhibition and been covered by metal panels designed by another artist. The back of house areas have a rubber floor finish defining them as separate from the public areas and allowing for easy cleaning of spillages in the kitchen and wcs etc. The timber present in the stair is continued as the floor surface to the first floor office for the gallery owner and meeting area. This defines these spaces as special and places to which the public have to be invited rather than readily accessible as per the flowing concrete floor of the entrance space, corridor, gallery and ground floor offices. The white walls visually contrast with the oak timber, grey concrete and green rubber floor finishes allowing ease of maneuvering around the spaces.
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Community Impact
The building has been in a state of disrepair for many years. A fire several years ago caused considerable damage to an area of the roof allowing water into the building and thus accelerating the decline of the building fabric. The building was being accessed by local drug users as a location to feed their habits. Their presence and the lack of security had lead to residents virtually never using the communal back court of their tenements. The back of the Bathhouse building has now been completely refurbished along with the rest of the building, giving a positive and secure outlook to the back court. This has already encouraged local residents to begin using this space again for planting flowers, hanging washing and relaxing outdoors. Consultation was held with the local people at three levels in addition to the planning consultations: residents group, Compass Local Housing Organization and Glasgow Housing Association. The stone faรงade to the street is located hard against the pavement. The existing double door access to the large space has been developed as a large scale window. This allows pedestrians to view directly into the gallery space allowing them glimpses of the art within. The client and designer have resisted reinstating the window security guarding that was previously present on the building. The client was prepared to risk broken windows on the hope that leaving them unprotected would give a positive signal to the local community of trust, openness and cooperation. This has resulted in the building looking less cluttered by security screens and less defensive and exclusive.
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Concepts and visualisations
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PLANS, SECTIONS & ELEVATIONS
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Before
After
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