Riach Partnership

The finishing touches and final tweaks are being applied as Phase 1 of the refurbishment of the Murano Street Student Village central services building draws to a close. Initial feedback is good and the site team are eager to get back in and settle into their new surroundings.

The project has been something of a departure for Riach Partnership, experimenting with colour, texture and decoration in an exclusively interior context, with regular client input to achieve the fundamental changes to the look and feel of the building that they are looking for. Cost has been, as ever, a significant factor in the development of the project and with that in mind we have tried to focus attention on key areas that will drive the finished product. We'll keep you posted as things progress and Phase 2 commences.

We are pleased to announce that, four years after winning the competition to design and deliver a new flagship housing project for Govanhill Housing Association, the project is now complete and in use, redefining the corner of the urban block at Cathcart Road and Butterbiggins Road. The project saw its fair share of turmoil and setbacks but good working relationships and a positive attitude to overcome any problems set in their path the design team, client and contractor delivered on their promise to the satisfaction of all concerned.

For our part, we would like to thank Jamie for his hard work and diligence in making this project a success after so many years working away behind the scenes. Surely a fitting landmark as he approaches his next, and far more demanding, challenge as a new father.

The scaffolding was fully dropped last week which, for the first time, afforded a full appreciation of the marriage of old and new: the old stone elevation repaired with new stone and infilled with new windows; the new roof and the new extension.

Clad in slate and zinc, the new building replaces the previous, smaller building which had fallen badly into a state of disrepair.

It was an exciting day on site yesterday as we got to see the new rear elevation for the first time now that the scaffolding has been dropped. The entire top floor has been rebuilt using a mixture of salvaged and new stone and with the wallhead, gutter and roof now also completed, the B Listed structure has been transformed.

The top floor volume is now completed. The windows have been installed making the building wind and water tight. The steel has now been fire protected and the internal rainwater pipes connected.

The stone skew between Townhouses 1 and 2 is in place with the slate and lead works due to be completed next week. The final stone repairs to the rear elevation are ongoing and thereafter the scaffolding will be dropped to reveal the full transformation.

All money saved on Christmas cards and postage will be donated to studioDELTA, a charitable organisation set up by Riach employee Marianne Keating, with the ambition of building a community centre in one of the poorest areas of Bangladesh. For more information please visit www.studiodelta.co.uk

Top floor space within Townhouse 3 with the conservation rooflights fitted. Now that the roof is closed in, one is afforded a true sense of the new volume created.

The roof slates have been completed to Townhouses 2 and 3 with much of the associated lead works also complete. The entire roof (slate, lead, zinc and single ply membrane) is being inslatted by D Harkin & Co.

New stone finials delivered to site and ready to be installed.

We would like to welcome Marianne Keating and Ewan Ross who have joined the office on a short term basis. Marianne returns to Riach having spent a year with us during her RIBA Part 1 Year Out in 2008.

Both Marianne and Ewan will be working on our overcladding projects with Clyde Valley Housing Association in Airdrie, Hamilton, Motherwell and Lesmahagow as well as assisting on a number of other projects within the office during what is a busy time for Riach Partnership.

Works at our residential development on Cathcart Road for Govanhill Housing Association continue to progress with the full building form now evident through the near completion of the steel frame. With only the stair tower element to be installed, this phase of the programme will be completed early next week, with the pouring of the concrete floor slabs following shortly thereafter.

The first sections of the steel frame are now in place at Cathcart Road as the new building form starts to take shape. The entire steel skeleton is programmed to be completed by the end of October with the floor decking and slab pour to follow shortly thereafter.