Laurieston Sustainable Development Masterplan
Gaia acted as sustainable design consultants for the mixed-use development in Laurieston aiming to be a “World Class City Quarter” incorporating around 1700 residential units and 300,000 ft 2 of commercial/retail space.
This area of Glasgow had already successfully applied a strategy to support the quality of the architectural development including the massing, and use of materials. Gaia’s role was to develop an equivalent framework for sustainable development for the Laurieston Masterplan / Outline Planning Application, which would carry through to appraisal of developers. The aim was to enable the development (which is in 12 phases) to take a step up in quality of design specification and implementation by showing evidence of real implementation of sustainable design. The work involved: -
• a SWOT Appraisal of the existing masterplan relative to best practice sustainable design on projects of this scale;
• identifying opportunities for the development of initiatives that would enhance the sustainability of the development.
• producing performance standards and targets for individual development packages and the development as a whole.
• drafting a statement of principles and targets to inform and support the masterplan implementation.
• developing an overarching sustainability framework to guide the project that is compatible with encouraging developer buy-in.
Gaia worked with the client to determine the minimum standard for the 1st phase of the development and a series of enhanced targets that could be used to “ratchet up” the standards over time. These standards, which cover management tools, landscape and public art, health, resources, pollution, community and bio-diversity take the form of a brief for a best practice development underpinned by robust commitments to its implementation within an agreed timescale. It is comprehensive, ambitious and workable. Gaia have gone on to apply the framework to a project in Clackmannanshire where there is a single developer.
Street Furniture, Laurieston
Photo: Sandy Halliday
