Our story is one of innovation, resilience and trend-setting. Our predecessors set a high bar for inspiring, personable and dynamic leadership, and we are incredibly proud to be the custodians of a rich and diverse Scottish heritage. There is barely a city or town in the country that doesn’t have a building designed by the talented people who have worked for the firm.
Henderson became an assistant to the firm working under Mackintosh’s direction. Following this, he served in the First World War. He was severely wounded, losing the use of his right arm and hand. Whilst hospitalised, he taught himself to draw and write with his left hand.
In 1938, Graham Henderson was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal for the design of Cloberhill School in Glasgow. He was elected President of the RIBA in 1950.
‘Designed with the Atom Bomb in mind…’
In 1952, Joe Gleave – who had become an authority on hospital design – got the chance to turn his theories into practice with the first large hospital commission for Vale of Leven Hospital in Balloch. Many of his innovative ideas about modular adaptability remain relevant today.
Vale of Leven Hospital was located in a valley and was to be no more than three storeys high so that a blast from a nuclear bomb dropped on Glasgow would pass over the top. Injured people in Glasgow could then be transferred out for treatment. No-one at the time could have predicted that atomic weapons would become so powerful and prolific but the very existence of nearby submarine bases on the Clyde had clearly influenced the design solution.
Other concepts of modern healthcare were born at Vale of Leven, including nurse stations and hospital streets. The basement corridors were used for servicing, ground floor ones for the public and first floor ones for the staff. Many hospitals at the beginning of the 21st Century still do not have this level of segregation, with visitors, patients, staff, supplies, refuse and even the deceased often sharing the same circulation routes through the building.
Vale of Leven was completed in 1955 by the builder Angus MacDougall at a cost of £343,005.
‘The busiest court house in Europe…’’
The Glasgow Sheriff Court building sits on the south bank of the Clyde in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, within the Sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. It is reputedly the busiest court in Europe. The original brief from Scottish Courts Administration involved the relocation of existing courts and provision of new facilities in a combined area of 24,000sq.m.
Combining twenty-one courts dispersed around Glasgow under one roof, the building features four criminal courts, eleven general purpose courts, an appeal court, a civil court, a criminal custody court and two juvenile courts, along with ancillary spaces.
Working under height restrictions, the building is four storeys high, built symmetrically around a central atrium which brings substantial natural light into the building. The atrium provides a lobby and meeting space, allowing visitors to easily and intuitively understand the building.
The building was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1986. It cost £21.2m
Following the merger of Glasgow Polytechnic and Queen’s College, Keppie designed the Financial Services Centre at the heart of the new Glasgow Caledonian University campus. The building was conceived to reflect both the dynamic character of a city-centre educational environment and the prestige of a corporate headquarters. Positioned at the end of the university promenade, the structure is organized around a central courtyard, which defines a curving internal circulation route. Featuring a Japanese-style garden and water feature, the courtyard also serves as a venue for university events. Find out more in this news article.
An extension to the existing hotel accommodation at the the world famous Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, creating an additional wing of eighteen luxury suites, over two levels, all with Old Course views. These suites set a new contemporary interior language. A flexible central space is capable of providing for smaller social groupings and contrastingly large functions seating up to six hundred and fifty guests. Extension of existing spa facilities including extended pool and hydrotherapy suite and wet and dry treatment areas. Find out more in the project profile page.
The BBC Scotland headquarters at Pacific Quay, Glasgow, sits prominently on the River Clyde alongside landmarks such as the Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow Tower, SEC, and the Armadillo. Designed as a world-class broadcasting hub, the building balances a strong civic presence with public accessibility. Accommodating over 1,300 staff, it is the BBC’s first digital broadcasting centre of the 21st century. Find out more in the project profile page.
Keppie were appointed as Masterplanners, Architects, interior and Landscape designers for this 10 building
Office Park constructed in one single phase over 2 years. The four storey office pavilions ranging from
5500-18000m2 arranged around a heavily landscaped park with extensive amenities such as a Nursery, Hotel, Restaurant, Fitness Suite, Salon and café. Each Grade A Office is designed to be sub-divisible on each level and is highly specified will all buildings achieving a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ Rating. Find out more in the project profile page.
Maggie’s Centre approached OMA to design a new centre on the grounds of Gartnavel hospital in Glasgow,
close to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. OMA designed a single-level building in the form of
a ring of interlocking rooms surrounding an internal landscaped courtyard. Keppie were appointed as
Executive Architects for the project working closely with OMA’s Netherlands-based office to deliver their precise vision. Seemingly haphazardly arranged, the building is actually a careful composition of spaces responding to the specific needs of a Maggie’s Centre and providing a refuge for those coping and living with cancer. Find out more in the project profile page.
Keppie supported Foster + Partners in the design delivery of the award-winning Hydro Arena. The venue has significantly contributed to the regeneration of Glasgow’s Finnieston area, attracting over 1.2 million annual visitors and spurring the opening of more than 25 new bars and restaurants. Keppie’s role on the project was to coordinate several highly complex construction elements, in particular the acoustic plenam ensuring a high–quality sound environment for the 13,500 capacity bowl shaped arena. Find out more in the project profile page.