Architects’ Showcase: First students arrive at Hawkins\Brown-designed PBSA after Commonwealth Games stint

Located on a prominent site in Glasgow’s city centre, the project has provided accommodation for athletes and support staff visiting the city this summer before welcoming its first batch of students in August. Student accommodation provider Homes for Students will operate the facility under its Prestige Living Brand.

The development addresses a need for high-quality sustainable student accommodation in Glasgow, one of the UK’s largest university cities. With more than 75,000 full-time students and only around 20,800 operational student beds, the city has one of the highest student-to-bed ratios in the country.

With a stepped form that responds to the sensitivity of the surrounding built context, Hawkins/Brown’s design introduces a distinctive new landmark at the edge of the Glasgow Central Conservation Area.

The building’s façade, with three different shades of green terracotta, references the city’s historic use of ceramics, while complementing the warm red sandstone architecture of neighbouring buildings, including category A-listed St Columba Gaelic Church.

The scheme delivers 321 studio apartments across a range of price points, including standard, club, premium and accessible studios, helping to provide greater choice and affordability and is ideally located for students studying at the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University, The Royal Conservatoire and the Glasgow School of Art.

Extensive resident facilities include co-working and study areas, a gym, yoga studio, cinema room, games room, meeting spaces, cafés and private dining facilities. Outdoor amenities include landscaped roof terraces on Levels 7, 9 and 11, offering views across the city alongside dedicated social, wellbeing and study spaces.

At street level, the development introduces new public realm improvements, including landscaping, stepped seating and south-facing outdoor areas overlooking St Vincent Street, creating a welcoming environment for both residents and the wider community. The fossil fuel-free building incorporates heat pump technology, high levels of insulation, energy-efficient lighting and water-saving systems. 

Hawkins\Brown Partner and Edinburgh studio lead Peter McLaughlin said: “St Vincent Studios is our first completed PBSA project in Scotland, and we’re proud to be playing a part in supporting Glasgow’s higher education sector.

“An influx of students will bring new energy, investment and footfall to this part of the city centre and contribute to its evolution from a predominantly commercial office district to a thriving mixed-use quarter.”

David Westwater, managing director of Artisan Real Estate Scotland, added: “St Vincent Studios is a great example of how thoughtful architecture can help shape the future of a city. Hawkins\Brown’s design brings together creativity, sustainability and urban regeneration in a way that feels both ambitious and inherently connected to Glasgow’s character.

“The scheme creates a high-quality sustainable environment for collaboration and innovation while responding sensitively to its wider context, demonstrating how well-designed buildings can contribute not only to economic growth but also to the cultural and social life of the city.”