Green future for printing press
AFORMER printing press in Glasgow has been developed into a community hub and workspace. Civic House, used as a printworks in the city’s Speirs Locks in the 1920s, has been closed since March 2020 when the country went into lockdown.
It has now been given a makeover with funding of more than £320,000 from SP Energy Networks’s Green Economy Fund.
The transformation includes insulated walls, rooftop solar PV panels and triple-glazed windows.
Community groups will be able to make use of the new hub, including Glasgow Canal Group, Glasgow Tool Library and Bike for Good.
SP Energy Networks chief executive Frank Mitchell said: “Supporting local enterprise and community groups to go greener is a key priority for our Green Economy Fund.
“Transforming this iconic 1920s building into a modern energy-efficient community hub and co-working space will reduce carbon emissions, bring the community together and boost the local green economy. This project shows the huge potential for renovation of post-industrial buildings across Scotland, which can be used to support a cleaner and greener future.
“The work completed at Civic House can be used as a blueprint for future projects and we look forward to seeing the positive social and environmental impact it will have in the coming years.”
The project is led by notfor-profit company Agile City, who create workspaces from post-industrial buildings such as Civic House.
Agile City has reduced heating demands at Civic House by 82% by introducing natural light into the property.
A Mechanical Heat Ventilation System (MHVS) is in place to provide fresh filtered air and generating enough energy to heat the building.
In light of the pandemic, airflow and ventilation were important considerations when it came to restoring Civic House.
Agile City aims to save more than 71 tonnes of carbon every year, as well as regenerating the local community, supporting economic growth and community-led projects.
Rob Morrison, director of
Agile City CIC, said: “Taking an iconic 1920s building and turning it into a warm, welcoming and eco-friendly community space is no mean feat.
“Thanks to the Green Economy Fund investment, Civic House had had an incredible transformation and has become the First PassivHaus retrofit of a post-industrial building in Scotland.
“Glasgow has vast numbers of vacant industrial buildings and this project aims to create a scaleable prototype of how to retrofit post-industrial buildings to become energy positive.
“We’re delighted to provide a shared workspace for Glasgow’s small business community and a community hub that supports local people to thrive.
“This is an opportunity to inject life back into Speirs Locks, an area that had severe loss of business throughout the pandemic.
“We’re proud to be supporting Scotland’s climate change goals and providing a blueprint for other community upgrade projects in post-industrial buildings.
“It’s great to welcome back Glasgow locals to Civic House and we’re extremely excited for what the future holds.”