Briggait redevelopment

  • Detail of the Briggait's historical exterior

Lead Partner: The Wasps Trust

Other Partners: Wasps Artists’ Studios

Project Team: Nicoll Russell Studios; Heath, Doig and Smith; Buro Happold; Kirk and Marsh Morris and Spottiswood

Contact Details:
Alison Fullerton
Wasps Artists’ Studios
0141 554 8299
alisonfullerton@waspsstudios.org.uk

Project History
Click an image to enlarge

Location:Glasgow City Centre, Merchant City

Description:

The Briggait is a Grade A listed building in Glasgow's Merchant City. Built in 1873, the building is on the cusp of becoming an exciting new creative space for the city, a new identity which adds to the building's already colourful history.

A former fishmarket, the Briggait was redeveloped into a shopping centre in the 1980s, but has been lying predominantly empty since.

However, the Briggait has now been transformed into 5,500 sq m of public and private space including 69 workspaces for visual artists and cultural organisations, 5 shop-front units for let to creative industries and a new public space within a courtyard that dates back to 1873.

The project was funded by Glasgow City Council, Scottish Arts Council Capital Lottery Fund, Scottish Enterprise, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, The Mickel Fund, Hugh Fraser Foundation and loan finance.

This project is one of the main elements of a wider strategy to support the cultural sector and the wider creative industries in the Merchant City.  A second phase of development at the site is in the early planning stages.

Current status:

Complete.

Timescale: The first phase of development completed in December 2009. Officially opened July 2010.

Cost: £6.5M