Typographical House, 222 Clyde Street (originally known as SOGAT House):
Originally known as SOGAT (Society of Graphical and Allied Trades) House, and constructed between 1961-65 this medium sized office building is sited on the north bank of the River Clyde. The building was designed by Glasgow architecture firm: Rogerson and Spence.
The building has clear modernist influences of the horizontal banding racing around the elevations. The glazing turns the corner of the building reveailing that the structural frame of the building is held within the walls and responsible for the loading arther than the walls. A variety of precast concrete panels are used for the external skins, the vertical circulation (staircase) is celebrated with the full height glazing at the front, and a classic 1970s font signage on the front (south) elevation onto Clyde Street dates the building to the early 1970s. The flat roof has a parapet and a small plant room/access structure at the front, this form is a simple box, but has a flying swept roof form giving the south front elevation of the building a corbusien influence. Currently the entire building lies empty,and minor vandalism has occured on numerous occasions. The west elevation is a former party wall and following the demolition of the adjacent building been inadequately protected by plastic sheeting. Numerous broken windows can be seen and other flaws in the building's envelope. An unsubstantiated source has stated the building has a large amount of asbestos potentially furthering the difficulties any new owner may face.
street address: 222 Clyde Street, Glasgow, G1 4JT
Latitude / Longitude: 55.855703,-4.254342 (sourced using Google Maps)
site visit dates: 6 July 2007 & 13 March 2011
signage on the front (south) Clyde Street elevation
south and east elevations
part of front elevation
west party wall and south elevation
west party wall and south (rear) elevation
windows to the rear staircase
entrance to the Riverside Club on the north (rear) elevation
east and north elevations
short north rear elevation and the long east elevation from an elevated position showing the building's current isolation
rear north-east corner and a view showing the parapet edged flat roof
precast concrete decorative relief panels which adorn the elevations
view up the east/south corner
glazed main staircase on the south elevation with views across the River Clyde
former front ground floor occupant
south elevation with 'flying roof' visible and glazing steeping round the corner in an a typical detail of the time
elevated view form the rear somewhat disappointingly shows the flying V feature capping the front elevation is merely a frontage to the rooftop access which from the rear sits like a brick shed on the flat roof
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