Timber Awards 2013: The Glad Café

A short case study on a café that was shortlisted for the RIAS Best Use of Timber Awards 2013.

A pony wall separates a section of the Glad Cafe seating area. The pony wall is made of timber and has cut out letter stencils.
Published: 26/01/2016

This is a refurbishment project with particular emphasis on the use of recycled materials. The Glad Café, located in the Southside of Glasgow, is comprised of two main spaces:

  • a café serving freshly prepared seasonal food
  • a venue for a variety of events including music, exhibitions, film and poetry readings

The Glad Café is a social enterprise.

Case study: Timber Awards 2013 – The Glad Café

Download this case study to take away key learning from The Glad Café.

The project

The premises, originally built as a single-storey bakery, is attached to one of the first tenements to be built using a structural steel frame. The property shell was in good condition.

The space had previously been a snooker hall and then a restaurant. This space was partitioned into two rooms: the café and the performance area.

The new performance space was acoustically separated to minimise any disturbance caused to the adjoining neighbours. Two existing boarded-up windows were opened up, transforming the café into a warm and welcoming space.

The Glad Cafe seating area with wooden tables and chairs, a bookshelf filled with books and dark green light pendants.

Seating area

Café patrons can enjoy their coffee and meal in a warm and inviting environment. Image credit: Grant Hugh Jones

Use of timber

All existing timber flooring was uplifted, treated off-site and reused for fixed furniture and floor coverings. Some timber floor coverings were salvaged from a local gym and court markings are still visible.

The timber balustrades, shelving and venue bar are made up of various thicknesses of plywood and plastic offcuts supplied by local furniture designers.

All furniture is second hand and was gifted to the project by locals. The existing heating and ventilation system was upgraded and tailored to suit the new café layout.

The Glad Cafe bar station's front cover, made out off cut out timber and brightly coloured plastic offcuts. The plastic is lit up by lights.

Bar venue

The brightly coloured plastic lit up with light creates a fun aesthetic to the bar. Image credit: Grant Hugh Jones

A library of sustainable building materials

Our website includes a web-based resource that showcases sustainable, traditional, innovative, recycled and low carbon building materials. If you are looking for inspiration or information on different types of materials to consider for your project, visit our materials library.

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