BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre
Description
The British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre was named in recognition of the £5m contribution made by the British Heart Foundation towards the £12m cost (the remaining cost was met by about 1,200 donors). The building was designed in 2001 by Boswell, Mitchell & Johnston along with the Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre Sir Graeme Davies Building and joins the Wolfson Medical School Building, which opened in 2003, forming the “triangle of excellence.” The Centre studies the causes of cardiovascular disease and research prevention and treatment.
Initially outline planning permission was granted for a new Institute of Virology on the western part of the Western Court – a triangle of land located between Byres Road, University Avenue and University Place – but funding was not secured. In 2000 Boswell, Mitchell & Johnston were invited to develop proposals for new Virology, Biomedical and Cardiovascular research centres on the Western Court site. Due to concerns over the density of development and securing funds for Virology only the Biomedical and Cardiovascular centres were designed in 2001.
Both buildings were envisaged as two separate, but linked, parallel offset blocks running between University Avenue and University Place. They contain ‘wet’ laboratories, specialist laboratories, offices and other ancillary accommodation. The Biomedical Research Centre measures five-storeys and is longer and taller than the western Cardiovascular block which measures four storeys to match the adjacent tenements. The buildings are linked via a bridge that joins the glazed service stair/lift towers. This runs over a pedestrian route that links University Avenue to University Place. The gable ends of the buildings facing University Avenue and University Place are clad in stone and angled to correspond with the geometry of the streets while the long elevations are clad in terracotta tiles.
The Princess Royal opened both buildings on 25 April 2006.
Summary
BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre
University Avenue/ University Place,
Glasgow
G12 8QQ
Record last updated: 25th Jun 2015
