Negotiations are set to begin on transforming The Lighthouse—a historic Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building in Glasgow—into a Net Zero Innovation Hub for climate tech firms
The Lighthouse is an A Listed building formerly home to the Glasgow Herald and – from 1999 – Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City. A recent review of the use of the building failed to find a long-term, sustainable use of the building for council purposes.
The negotiations with Sustainable Ventures (Scotland) Limited will now begin with the city council on a long-term lease for the 88% (5,424 sq ft) of the floorspace in the building that the council owns.
Sustainable Ventures are affiliated with Sustainable Workspaces CIC, Europe’s largest ecosystem of climate tech startups, with 130 startups co-located at their HQ workspace in London, and have more broadly supported over 700 climate tech SMEs to scale, who have raised over £1.3billion and created 6,500 green inclusive jobs. Their research has found that over 500 potential workspace member businesses (mostly from Scotland, with some from other parts of the UK) would be interested in taking a space if the lease would be successful.
Scottish Climate Tech companies generate more than £15 billion each year, and the majority of these businesses are located in the central belt; within two hours of the Glasgow City Region (GCR). This project aims to secure private sector investment that will transform the Lighthouse into a Net Zero Innovation Hub, providing the place to go for Clean Tech companies in Scotland to start up, scale up and outgrow the facility, providing a pipeline of economic activity and supporting the skills and talent emerging from Glasgow and the wider city-region.
If negotiations are successful, a long-term, sustainable use for The Lighthouse will have been found, with a financial commitment to repair the building and public access maintained, as well as the economic benefits that will be delivered through the growth of this thriving sector of the economy.
Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Convener for Built Heritage and Development at Glasgow City Council, said: “I’m delighted that negotiations on bringing the Lighthouse back to full life have been given the go-ahead. This is a Charles Rennie Mackintosh classic which has been seeking a new purpose over a number of years. Plans to use this architectural gem to provide space for hi-tech start-ups is exactly the type of project which can revitalise this great building.
“When Mackintosh designed the Lighthouse it represented the height of modernity in a Glasgow known across the world for its invention and innovation. If we can successfully conclude negotiations, there’s a wonderful serendipity that over 130 years on it could find a new use in a new Glasgow which is again at the cutting edge of innovation.”