Glasgow underpass given 'otherworldly' overhaul

Glasgow Canal Regeneration Partnership (GCRP) commissioned the Edinburgh-based architects to re-imagine the ‘mundane’ grey area under the M8 link as part of the wider regeneration of the Speirs Locks area.

Christened Phoenix Flowers, the £1.2 million Garscube Link project resurrects the crucial link between the canal network and Glasgow City Centre, which was severed by the motorway in the 1960s.

Ewan Anderson, partner at 7N Architects said: ‘We set out to “turn up the volume” a bit in the approach to the new underpass to compete with the scale and visual cacophony of the M8 flyover.

He continued: ‘The intention was to grab some critical territory back for pedestrians and cyclists by giving it a rather otherworldly feel to transform what was previously a grey and mundane experience into a slightly surreal swathe of colour.’

The scheme marks the beginning of the regeneration of Speirs Locks, aiming to transform its gateway to the city centre from a hostile and intimidating environment, to one which is vibrant and interesting.

Phoenix Flowers is comprised of a single red resin surface, illuminated by a ribbon of 50 coloured aluminium flowers, which look to evoke a memory of the former Phoenix Park.

The project was designed with RankinFraser Landscape Architecture.

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