Glasgow A Renaissance City ?

  Ideal City, 15th Century

While waiting outside The Blytheswood Hotel for one of the NGR delegation to return to the Village I was looking around Blytheswood Square and I was caught by how the  mix of old and new buildings had been integrated, putting me in mind of the Renaissance painting The Ideal City.

The modern architect must have been aware of the painting I am sure while the town planner must have had a say, the two professions working together to create a little bit of a Renaissance City in Central Glasgow.

Separated by West George Street we have on the one side The Blytheswood Hotel and on the other a Government Building – Creative Scotland.

The two complement each other in colour and in form, with the modern architect seemingly respecting and reflecting the three stories on the Blytheswood Hotel building, taking into account the slope Creative Scotland is build on. In doing so they have created virtual lines, that capture the eye, creating continuity across the road and the time that separates the two buildings. I am sure that the acceptance of the building’s plan by Glasgow’s town planners  was made easier because of this sympathetic design in the modern, acknowledging and respecting the past while creating a very contemporary building.

That little bit of a Renaissance City I found all over the Glasgow City centre here are a few: