Glasgow and Strathkelvin Sheriff Court, Including Control Room, Terracing, Hardstanding and Boundary Wall

Glasgow and Strathkelvin Sheriff Court

A monumental, purpose-built civic court building designed by Keppie Henderson and Partners (architect Richard De'Ath) and completed between 1972 and 1986. The structural engineers were Ove Arup and Partners, the main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine and Sons Ltd, and the landscape architects William Gillespie and Partners. The building is prominently set on the south bank of the River Clyde and houses all court functions for the Scottish Court Service for Glasgow and Strathkelvin. It includes a separate control room building and plant set within terraced grounds.

The main court building is a six-storey, symmetrical, rectangular-plan structure with 8 and 13 bays. It is surrounded by a concrete parapet and set within an 8-metre-high moat (three storeys sunk below the raised hard standing ground level), with a concourse and terracing on its perimeter. The principal architectural feature is a heavy overhanging horizontal upper storey leading into symmetrical slender floating columns interspersed by narrow vertical strip metal windows. The porticoed principal entrance is positioned at the centre of the north elevation.

The building is constructed with a reinforced concrete frame. The entrance entablature and column facings are finished with polished pink-grey granite slabs with honed fine finished surfaces, while the walls feature deep recessed banded ashlar sandstone cladding. A stretcher bond stone brick base course sits beneath an oversized battered concrete cope enclosing the moat.

The north elevation contains 13 bays and features the main entrance with portico, above which sits a carved negative relief granite coat of arms. A glass and steel rectangular box spanning three bays extends across the sixth floor, with additional glazing on lower floors providing views from the canteen over the landscaped garden and River Clyde. Extensive glazing at garden level faces the river.

The east elevation of eight bays faces Gorbals Street, while the south elevation contains 13 bays with views over a dedicated car park and Norfolk Street. The west elevation is similar to the east, with views over the security vehicle entrance and parking areas accessed from Nicholson Street.

Windows throughout are predominantly sheet glass in metal frames. The roof is asphalt with a flat surface, featuring protruding vents, plant equipment, and integral rainwater goods. Solar panels were added in 2008.

The accommodation includes administration and sheriffs' offices, police offices, 24 courtrooms of various functions, prisoner receiving areas, sheriffs' library, staff and visitor restaurants, plant rooms, visitor receiving areas, stores, and a security vehicle entrance checkpoint station.

Internally, the building employs a hierarchically arranged symmetrical grid plan. Custody and police areas occupy the lower ground floors, courtrooms are distributed across floors one to five, and plant rooms occupy the upper floors. The main reception features a portico relief sculpture of St Mungo by Jake Kempsell positioned above the main desk. A glass-roofed atrium rises to the sixth floor. The detailing throughout is inspired by late Arts and Crafts and Mackintosh design, with features including a stainless steel main staircase and decorative screens flanking the entrance reception. Concrete coffered ceilings are employed throughout, and a central backlit hanging clock is positioned in the gallery.

Materials are specified to a high standard. Hardwoods used in fittings and fixtures include Wenge from Zaire, Japanese Sun Ash, American White Oak, and English Brown Oak employed in the office of the Sheriff Principal. Terrazzo floors finish the main court areas.

The police and custody areas on the lower levels employ plain, robust, utilitarian design. The police area features white painted quarry tiles to both floor and walls, with stainless steel fittings throughout. The extensive custody and police area includes cells with solid core doors that swing out, observation cells, interview rooms, urinals, and service hatches distributed across the entire building. The upper levels contain sheriffs' accommodation, including robing rooms, dining room, common room, and library. Plant rooms occupy levels five and six.

The control room is a separate wedge-plan incident control building positioned to the south-west of the main court building at the entrance gates. It is faced with aggregate concrete panels and features a canted roof. Hydraulic pop-up barriers are positioned at the top of the ramp providing access to police parking and a custody holding area at basement level. Horizontal glazing features throughout.

The hard standing on all sides of the buildings is paved in concrete aggregate panels. Low-rise steps to the north-east and north-west boundary provide access to landscaped terracing.