Abercromby Street

Abercromby Street delivers 77 new affordable homes for Thenue Housing Association on a formerly derelict brownfield site in Glasgow’s East End.  The project continues a relationship between Thenue and MAST Architects which has delivered more than thirty years of successful regeneration across the area.

Surrounded by a fragmented mix of residential, commercial and historic buildings, the development presented an opportunity to repair the local townscape and create a stronger sense of place.  A seven storey flatted block establishes a defined edge to Abercromby Street and creates a prominent marker when approached from the south.  From here, the development gradually reduces in scale across the site,  accommodating a four-storey block and a series of semi-detached homes on Tobago Street – an approach which responds to the changing scale and character of the surrounding streets.

The development provides a diverse mix of houses and flats, including dedicated wheelchair accommodation, with homes designed to support future adaptation.  An extension of the existing Drake Street creates a clear and legible route through the site, giving every home access from a public street and establishing well-defined public and private spaces.

A palette of deep red and brown brick gives the development a robust character which is rooted in the industrial heritage of Glasgow’s East End, drawing on the nearby Templeton’s Carpet Factory and historic warehouses on Abercromby Street.  Private sunspace pods bring an additional layer to the flatted blocks, providing flexible semi-external space for residents while creating a vertical rhythm that takes cues from the bay windows of Glasgow’s traditional tenements.