Here’s a quiz question for all trained observers. Where in Scotland is The Bolt and Peanut? Clue: it’s not a new Wetherspoons pub. But it’s hidden in plain sight in central Glasgow.
A Glasgow Chamber event during the fab cycling championships in August was Creating A New Tech Hub for Glasgow.
It revealed some fascinating details about plans for the Met Tower, the former college of building and printing. Daron Williams, head of building consultancy Bruntwood SciTech, a 50-50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General Capital, spoke about his company’s visionary approach and why they selected Glasgow.
First of all, it was fascinating learning about the Metro Tower (that’s the People Make Glasgow building you can see from around the city) and its history and how it will be refurbished by 2025 to become one of the stars of the city’s future innovation districts, while a new tower alongside will open in 2026.
Simon Walsh, of Glasgow architectural firm Cooper Cromar, explained the challenges of converting the iconic building. Please, please, don’t call it a rectangular box, it’s a “truncated diamond” shape.
Interior designer Sarah Dodsworth spoke about how she will be working to create modern working spaces which pay tribute to the building’s Le Corbusier heritage. She explained that the roof-top ‘Bolt and Peanut’, which once housed water-tanks and electrical utilities, will become a chi-chi coffee place with the best views in the city. We can all look forward to sipping our lattes up in there in rooftop splendour.
