Ellerslie Crescent

Ellerslie Crescent provides 42 mid-market rent homes in Yoker on a prominent site beside the Renfrew Ferry and close to the River Clyde.  The seven-storey building was arranged to give every flat an aspect towards the river, with south-facing living spaces, large windows and Juliet balconies maximising daylight and views.   Scotland’s tallest timber building upon completion, it is an exemplar for using innovative technical approaches to improve construction practice, demonstrating the potential role of new materials and techniques in improving efficiency and sustainability.

The principal design focus of the building was to maximise the efficiency of the CLT with the resulting layout comprising three blocks of accommodation centred around one stair core. The superstructure is built entirely from CLT, including the common areas and lift shaft, comprising approximately 1170m³ of timber.  The external envelope was also developed adopting lightweight rainscreen cladding systems to eliminate the requirement for a masonry skin and wet trades during construction.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) was integral to the design process, with models shared between designers, manufacturers and contractors to realise improved design co-ordination, robust structural performance and enhanced sustainability modelling.  The construction phase also benefitted from the use of CLT in terms of reduced erection / construction time, reduced material wastage, and inherent high-performing air permeability, acoustic and thermal properties.

The project’s innovative approach was recognised at the 2018 Structural Timber Awards, where Ellerslie Crescent won Affordable Housing Project of the Year.