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Introduction
This report relates to designs for a new Tesco food store at Glasgow Harbour, Glasgow, presented at an A+DS Design Review meeting held on 26th July 2011 in The Lighthouse, Glasgow. Pre-application designs for the project were previously presented to A+DS on 22nd February 2011 and an interim report subsequently issued on 4th March 2011 - a copy of which is appended at the end of this report.
A+DS Views

1 General
1.1 We welcome the opportunity to comment on revised designs for the project. We note that the proposed site layout remains largely unchanged since previously presented and we would therefore reiterate some of our earlier comments noted below and in the appended report, particularly with regards to how the proposals relate to the wider context and the approved masterplan. Notwithstanding, we feel that there are elements of the scheme that have improved since the previous presentation and are pleased that the Project Team has addressed some of our earlier concerns. We generally support the current designs in this regard; however, there are some elements that we feel could be simplified and would benefit from further development.

2 Previous comments
2.1 In our previous report we acknowledged the work undertaken by the project team so far in an attempt to create a more bespoke design solution than the standard retail formula; however we did not support the proposals as proposed.

2.2 We advised the project team to be more adventurous on this spectacular site, and felt that simpler, bolder, moves, cognisant with the objectives of the masterplan and other signature buildings within the Clyde Waterfront area, would result in a stronger scheme. The site location and context are such that the building will be seen from, and needs to react positively to, the river, the road frontage, the parking frontage and views from above, and should also mediate between the civic aspect of Glasgow Harbour to east and the industrial hinterland to the west. As such we felt that the proposals were not sufficiently robust in their three-dimensional form to achieve this aim.

2.3 In order to reinforce the existing sense of place, we suggested the scheme should be designed as part of a revision to the approved Glasgow Harbour masterplan with particular reference to the quality of the recently established buildings and landscaping. Whilst we noted the commercial complexity of the project we felt that the proposals could be improved and suggested that exploring how to utilise the resources available more efficiently had the potential to create a better scheme. Due to the importance of the site to the city of Glasgow and with the potential for this store to become one of the largest within the client’s portfolio, we recommended that the project should be developed to create a flagship store as a statement of intent by the company for future developments in terms of architecture, sustainability and placemaking.

3 Design development
3.1 Proposed Site Layout
As mentioned above, the proposed site layout remains largely the same. However, we acknowledge that the Project Team has addressed some of the comments made in the previous report. In particular, visual prominence of proposed routes from north to south across the site via the revised boulevard arrangement is improved through a more developed landscape. An intensification of tree planting and landscaping along the east west route through the centre of the car park could also help to break down the mass of the parking and encourage further connectivity through from sites to the east.

3.2 Public Realm
Whilst we note that the provision of public realm on the site is limited, we feel that the arrangement of such spaces as have been provided, is improved, particularly in terms of the materials and detailing proposed and in the provision of a more generous and improved footway. At the western end of the walkway, we welcome the proposition for a farmers’ market for the community, which we understand is to be run by the store.

3.3 Car Parking
We still feel that the extent of car park appears to dominate the majority of the site, and we would favour a reduction in the number of spaces proposed to lesson its impact. In considering the design of the space we would promote the concept of car parking as a safe and secure environment integrated into the landscape, rather than the current design, which appears as a large area of hard surface with some landscaping to perimeter edges. We would also suggest that the car parking may be considered in tranches, that which will be most extensively used being treated in a different manner from that which is essentially overspill, and on which a more informal and soft landscaped approach might be taken.

3.4 Landscape Design
The changes to the proposed landscape appear on the whole quite positive within the limited scope afforded by the overall layout being developed, and likewise the proposed use of materials and planting seems appropriate. We welcome the introduction of a proposed bus lay-by off of South Street at the north end of the footpath leading to the store entrance, however, we are still disappointed to see the linear park being discontinued at the north east corner of the site and would seek a stronger justification for the loss of a major piece of landscape infrastructure that was part of the original masterplan. Despite our previous reservations about its inclusion and location, the team have advised that the petrol filling station is an essential element of the proposals. If this case is to be accepted, we would be interested to see proposals which might mitigate this via design of the installation, and of the landscaping surrounding it.

3.5 Building Design
This is a special site that requires a bespoke store and we are heartened by the way in which the building designs have improved since the previous scheme. We note the shift away from the original concept of a building coming up out of the land in favour of the current approach which appears to refer to its aspect, orientation and setting more sympathetically. The south façade however, appears too fussy and perhaps ‘over-elevated’, incorporating remnants of the original concept as well as the new, and we suggest this could be simplified. By contrast the eastern elevation as currently proposed appears much more elegant and successful. The expression of the glazed southeast corner of the building has been improved, though we wonder whether there may even be an opportunity to incorporate a taller element in this location to signify the store from afar, and to make a stronger statement about the current end of the river walkway.

As previously noted, the roof of the proposed store remains a pragmatic expression of the functions below, and due cognisance should be taken of the impact this element will have on views from the neighbouring properties when viewed from above as the building’s ‘fifth’ elevation. We suggest its design could be simplified to form a single floating plane as an organising device across the whole of the building reading as a designed architectural form, perhaps providing a greater degree of shelter at the walkway edge as it does so. A high quality design resolution is expected for such a prominent part of the building.

As noted in 3.4, we do not yet have an impression of the petrol filling station. We suggest that this must be a high quality bespoke design in order to respond to its proposed location and note the potential for a sculptural canopy to be sited in a modelled landscape, extending the concept of the linear park to the proposed store.

3.6 Sustainability
We note Tesco’s commitment to rolling out zero carbon stores in the UK and abroad and encourage the Project Team to explore how this store might also meet this ambition. We welcome a commitment towards reducing the environmental impact of the building through such methods as incorporation of large rooflights, monitoring the environmental impact of the store, and use of a timber structure in the building as a sustainable resource – though these important aspects of the project were underplayed in the presentation.

We suggest that, in terms of providing effective shading whilst allow natural light into the store, vertical louvers would be more effective than the horizontal format as currently proposed on the east façade. Likewise there is a large expanse of glazing on the south elevation that has no solar control at present and this will need to be addressed.

Consideration should also be given to the future adaptability of the petrol filling station, for example in including electrical charging points, and of the potential to replace it at a later date due to redundancy.

Conclusion
We thank the Project Team for presenting their revised proposals to A+DS. We note that only a portion of our previous comments have been addressed, however we generally support the improvement in the design in light of our previous comments. We still have some questions over the amount and nature of the car parking, as well as what is to become of the linear park which was proposed as part of the original approved masterplan. The proposed landscaping and public realm are appropriate and improved within the confines of the proposed layout. We suggest that building’s roof form and elevations could be further improved, particularly on the south elevation, and we also suggest there may still be ways of making the building more efficient and economic, promoting a zero carbon building in accordance with Tesco’s commitment to the environment and as a showpiece at Glasgow Harbour.