The owners of the Radisson Red Hotel recently bought the nearby listed building, the North Rotunda, and plan to invest £15m to redevelop the building.

Having previously been involved with the MEP design for the South Rotunda, we are excited to now also be involved with the MEP design for the North Rotunda. It is an honour to be able to play a role in bringing this important part of Glasgow’s industrial heritage back into effective use and protecting it for future generations.

Constructed in 1890, the North Rotunda, along with an identical building on the south side of the river, was built originally as an entrance to a vehicular and passenger tunnel under the river Clyde.

The new design will see the creation of ‘The Roundhouse’ on the ground floor, and ‘The Rotunda’ on the upper floors while restoring historic features like the cast iron and glass cupola.

The ground floor space is to be designed with live performances in mind, with two upper floors created for hosting weddings, conferences and other events. Bespoke sound and lighting systems will be installed, along with a new extension and external stairwell, allowing the building to meet modern building regulations.

“Sadly the old building is in a sorry state, but we are prepared to invest heavily in order to restore this architectural gem, bringing a new generation through its doors.

“The North Rotunda is a beautiful old building with some lovely features, either covered up completely or worse, rotting away. We want to restore it and we have worked hard to come up with a design which enhances and showcases those features.

“We see the Rotunda as an important part of Glasgow’s heritage which we are keen to preserve and enhance, while creating a brand new venue to showcase the best of music and live events from Glasgow and beyond.”

Keith Vallance, Construction Director at Forrest Hotels

The North Rotunda is paired with the South Rotunda on the other side of the river. This twin building also underwent a refurbishment and bespoke fit-out, becoming the offices of Malin Marine.

DSSR was also the MEP designer for the historic ‘B’ listed building, helping to develop it into exceptional contemporary office accommodation. Our service included full M&E design, including heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, domestic water, and fire safety. We also carried out thermal modelling to demonstrate that thermal comfort would be maintained throughout the year.