At GIA, we are proud to be actively contributing to this transformation of the city’s skyline. Our recent involvement includes securing planning approval for Vita Group’s nine-storey mixed-use development at the former ABC site on Sauchiehall Street, as well as supporting the successful application for Graham Investments’ 25-storey, 410-bed PBSA development at Hydepark Street. 

We fully support the introduction of the Tall Buildings Design Guide as a timely and essential framework. It strikes a crucial balance between ambition and accountability, laying the groundwork for tall buildings that are not only architecturally striking, but also contextually sensitive, sustainable, and designed with long-term value for the city in mind.

However, with this new opportunity comes a clear responsibility. Tall buildings can be transformative but only when delivered with care, technical precision, and a deep understanding of their impact on the urban environment.

Among the key technical considerations developers and planners must now prioritise are daylight and sunlight access, wind microclimate effects, and solar glare - each of which plays a critical role in shaping a safe, vibrant, and sustainable city centre.

Daylight and sunlight

The guidance rightly calls for greater consideration of how tall buildings affect the quality of light experienced at street level and within neighbouring properties. In a dense, vertical environment, access to natural light is not a luxury, it’s a determinant of health, wellbeing, and the success of mixed-use developments.

For developers, this means daylight and sunlight analysis can no longer be a late-stage box-ticking exercise. It must be embedded early in the design process, with an understanding of seasonal variations, any effects on public realm, and cumulative impacts across phases of development.

Wind

Wind analysis is one of the most critical and often underestimated elements of tall building design. In a city like Glasgow, where prevailing winds can be significant, the form and massing of new buildings must be rigorously tested for their impact on the microclimate, especially at pedestrian level.

Without effective wind mitigation strategies, tall buildings risk creating uncomfortable, even unsafe, conditions in key public areas. This makes the use of dynamic modelling tools such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) or wind tunnel testing not just advisable, but essential to good design.

Solar glare

With increasing use of reflective glazing and curtain wall fronts, solar glare has emerged as a real risk both for visual comfort and traffic safety. As buildings reach higher and façades become larger, the potential for glare impacting drivers, pedestrians, and neighbouring buildings increases.

We encourage developers to carefully consider how sunlight reflects off buildings throughout the day and year. Using the right tools to assess materials, building orientation, and the surrounding area, can help avoid glare and other unintended effects.

The Tall Buildings Design Guide represents more than just a policy shift it’s an invitation to raise our collective standards. It encourages us to build upward not simply for density’s sake, but to shape a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready Glasgow.

By setting clear parameters around what types of development are supported—and where—the guide offers greater clarity for residents and renewed confidence for those seeking to invest in and contribute to the city’s growth.

Delivering on this vision will require meaningful collaboration between planners, developers, architects, and technical surveying specialists. Together, we must prioritise performance as much as aesthetics and focus on long-term value over short-term gain.

• Michael Beatty is director at GIA, a consultancy for daylight, sunlight, rights of light, and related technology services