Love Loan

Glasgow’s critics would have you believe that there’s been an erosion of its urban fabric through neglect, dereliction, and budget cuts, aided by a casual attitude to gradual decline. But in opposition to stagnation, developers, architects, and urban designers are mounting a call to arms and Glasgow is once again finding hope through innovation, sustainability, and reconnection. The Golden Z, Buchanan Galleries and St Enoch redevelopments, and the Clyde Waterfront Regeneration have sought to transcend politics and make a stand against outdated ideas. People might make Glasgow, but if Glasgow is to succeed in reforming itself then Glasgow needs to make Glasgow.

When the expansion of Strathclyde University saw the absorption of the original Love Loan between North Frederick Street and John Street in 1966, you would be forgiven for thinking that the long-lost street was a forgotten grave. But Chris Stewart Group’s aspiration has ended the city's near 60-year estrangement with this hidden gem, ensuring that Love Loan belongs not just to Glasgow’s past, but also its future. Their vision invites the lovesick and lethargic northeast corner of George Square to enjoy a vibrant and passionate reconnection with the rest of its beloved city through the potential of a new district. Love Loan is a celebration of what Glasgow really ought to be; a beating heart and unmissable living landmark of spaces and experiences, where people come together by shared passions and love for the city they hold dear.

Our team understood we had to produce something not just visually breath-taking but respectful and nostalgic in equal measure. We undertook an in-depth pre-production exercise with CSG, deeply exploring the concept of ‘Love lost, Love found’ and taking inspiration from the 1956 Parisian film ‘The Red Balloon’, directed by Albert Lamorisse. In a move of complete trust, they granted us the freedom to cultivate the interior design and street vernacular, allowing us to portray a unique vision that was both compelling and captivating. Using physically accurate materials and lighting, we showed where textured remnants of once adjoining buildings meet with glazed brick and sunlight. Industrial reclamation married with the familiar haze of Glasgow brings repose to the hanging plants and bird cages of the Winter Garden, while rich leather, Carrara marble and reclaimed timber help to frame the full-height ‘whisky library’ under the petrol blue dome of the Collection Space.

Tennyson said ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never loved at all’. Perhaps better still though, is to find that love again.

Amor perditas amor inventus