Atlas Cultural Center

The brief

The Atlas Cultural Center occupies a former Victorian railway goods shed in Glasgow's Merchant City. The brief asked for a flexible arts venue — a building capable of hosting everything from intimate chamber music to large-scale contemporary art installations — while preserving the raw industrial character of its host structure.

Our approach was one of careful insertion rather than wholesale renovation. We retained the original cast-iron columns and exposed brick walls, adding a new roof lantern that floods the main hall with controlled northern light. A new programme of smaller galleries, studios, and a public café occupies a contemporary steel-and-glass extension that reads clearly as a new layer against the Victorian fabric.

The public realm strategy re-activates a forgotten lane alongside the building, creating a new pedestrian connection through the quarter and a covered outdoor space for markets and events throughout the year.