James Brimble, senior project architect, Page\Park on regeneration, asset preservation & Scotland's social housing.

Page\Park is an award-winning architecture practice with offices in Glasgow and Leeds.

It describes itself as "a reuse practice" - its mission statement reads: "our built environment is not disposable", which feels so in-tune with the sector's current needs.

Through a process of carefully considered design intervention, its teams - including senior project architect, James Brimble - find the best qualities of existing places and celebrate them.

And this approach is illustrated in projects such as the North Gate social housing project - "a new landmark gateway to the Gorbals", which sees the transformation of vacant brownfield land with a new city landmark to "complete the Gorbals masterplan".

In the chat to follow, James - who was awarded Project Architect of the Year at the recent RIAS Awards for this particular project - speaks to us in more detail about Page\Park's approach to retrofit in residential, social housing in Scotland, and the studio's thoughts around hitting the government's targets for affordable housing.

Tell us about your role at Page\Park

“I’m James Brimble, a senior project architect at Page\Park, where I specialise in the design and delivery of housing. This year, I was honoured to receive the Project Architect of the Year award for our work on the North Gate social housing project in Glasgow.”

Congratulations! Page\Park describes itself as a ‘reuse practice’ - tell us more

“As a practice our team are united by a commitment to the reuse of buildings and the regeneration of existing places. We recognise that our built environment is not disposable. Through our work we find the best qualities of existing places and celebrate them; seeking to bring joy and clarity through carefully considered design intervention.

“We believe it is vital not only to integrate existing assets to preserve them for future generations, but also to consider the broader impacts of our buildings and settings in the context of the climate emergency. We proactively interrogate ways to reduce embodied and operational carbon in our built environment. This principle applies equally to our retrofit and refurbishment projects as to any new buildings we design.”

Tell us about some of your recent residential projects

“Between our studios in Glasgow and Leeds, we have a diverse portfolio of projects in new and established settings.

“Our residential projects include a mix of tenures and building types. Currently, we are engaged in a range of residential projects, from bespoke one-off homes to larger social and private developments in various contexts.

“These projects often involve infilling, and regenerating parts of our towns and cities, utilising brownfield land to provide much-needed housing. We strive to deliver homes that people can be proud to rent or own. What connects these projects is a strong sense of identity and personality, that is derived from their local context.”

What about your work in social/affordable housing?

“Our North Gate social housing project, completed in 2022, exemplifies our commitment to the delivery of high quality, contextual social housing. North Gate forms part of a much broader housing portfolio in the New Gorbals that traces back to the origins of our practice, established in the early 1980s.

“North Gate has been recognised in local and national awards and is currently shortlisted for the Doolan Prize and the prestigious Neave Brown Award for Social/Affordable Housing (the only shortlisted project outside of London).

“As we move forward, our work in this sector continues to grow as we work to deliver housing that meets the needs of both rural and urban communities across Scotland and the wider UK.”

What are the main challenges in those areas?

“We actively seek opportunities with like-minded clients and developers who are often hindered by a lack of clarity regarding funding streams and backlogs within an overloaded planning system. “There is a misconception that good design costs extra to build, our Northgate project has shown that this is not the case; good design solves problems, unlocks complex sites for development, and creates inspiring places to live.”

You’re involved in a regeneration residential project in Glasgow, helping to rebuild and support the local community. Please can you tell us about what you’re doing there?

“We work across towns and cities, often in partnership with community-led housing associations that aim to develop housing tailored to the specific needs of their local community.

“A current project in the Tollcross area of Glasgow exemplifies this approach, where we are redeveloping a vacant site and repairing the city block with a new infill tenement.

“This complex project involves land remediation, to deliver a vision to reinstate the historic street pattern, with buildings designed to have a distinctive character and scale derived from the local urban grain.

“In collaboration with Tollcross Housing Association, we are addressing the area's housing mix requirements, incorporating wheelchair-accessible homes and family townhouses.”

How do you go about connecting place and community?

“We always involve local voices in our work. Our projects are collaborative efforts, conceived in partnership with people who understand place. Wherever we can, we also like to involve art in our projects, working with local artists who understand place and can help enrich our environment.

We value local voices, understanding that the world we are shaping is the contribution of the many, not the preserve of the few.

As you’ve mentioned, Page\Park has studios in Glasgow and Leeds - how do the teams across both work together?

“Our studios enable us to cover the length and breadth of the UK, with both offices connected technologically. This setup allows colleagues to collaborate across locations as needed. Our team regularly reviews projects between the offices to ensure quality and design coordination, meeting the expectations of our diverse clients.”

How does council support differ between regions i.e. planning?

“We are acutely aware of the pressure and that our public services are under. We seek to build collaborative working relationships with statutory authorities and stakeholders irrespective of geographical location.

“Building trusting relationships through the delivery of high-quality projects enables us to take people on, what are often long and complex, journeys through project lifecycles.”

What do you think of the government’s new housing targets?

“We recognise the urgency to deliver more affordable homes. Our existing housing stock is a key component of this. Addressing the challenge requires a cohesive plan that not only meets housing demands but also reflects the high standards and quality we know can be achieved.

“Our approach is to deliver high quality, sustainable homes for local communities with appropriate density.”

Where do you seek your inspiration?

“We draw much of our inspiration from the context and location in which we design. Our work recognises that a building’s story is intrinsically tied to its surroundings.

The history of a place informs not only the design but also shapes the building’s future, evolving a dialogue between past, present, and future.

What's next for Page\Park?

“Page\Park is now in its second generation of leadership, and 10 years into its employee ownership journey. We are continuously evolving our expertise to make sure that our design thinking aligns with the requirements of society.

“In our commitment to reuse, regeneration and retrofit we hope to play our part in combatting the climate emergency, but beyond that we hope to create spaces for people that spark joy, and stand the test of time.

“We hope there will always be a place in the world for thoughtful and joyful architecture that responds to existing contexts and adds the next chapter in the story of place.”