2019 / 2020 / Masterplan / MSc Urban Design

Once described as a ‘balanced community’ ‘not to be a ghetto for young families’, the Wyndford Estate is now seen as one of Glasgows new slums (Wright, N.D.). The area has a high crime rate, leaving locals fearful of entering the estate, and residents are unhappy. Currently, the situation seems hopeless, with few remedies in place. However, a solution can be reached through architectural intervention, which this project investigates.

In 2008 Dr Ombretta Romice, senior lecurer at the Unversity of Strathclyde, and student Andrew Paul investigated high rises in Glasgow to find common factors that make them unsucessful (Romice & Paul, 2008). Using case study high rises in Sighthill, they identified five key issues, and described what could be done to alter the buildings and solve these. The five key issues are:

  • Flat types
  • Circulation
  • Boundaries
  • Human Scale
  • Community Facilities

However, with a complex site like Wyndford, identifying
these issues just within the high rises is not enough. In order
to create a successful design proposal for Wyndford Estate
and the high rises within, the five key issues are applied to
and used to analyse four areas:

  1. The masterplan
  2. The site
  3. 8 storey high rise
  4. 26 storey high rise

by

Emma Poulton