Renfrewshire Council is celebrating Paisley Learning and Cultural Hub winning the ESG Refurbishment of the Year category at the Scottish Property Awards.
Home to Paisley Central Library, the hub follows a £7m investment by the local authority as part of a drive to regenerate Paisley and give people a reason to visit the town centre.
The new four-storey building, housed in a former High Street store, includes a reception area, children’s library and reading area, as well as play structures including a climbing wall and slide designed in collaboration with artist Claire Barclay. It has been. The upper floors include an outdoor terrace, community room, and study area.
The venue is run by local culture and leisure trust OneRen.
Councilor Lisa Marie-Hughes, cultural spokesperson for Renfrewshire City Council and chair of OneRen, said: The effect was visible with a significant increase in visitor numbers compared to the same period last year. Placing the library in the heart of the High Street is part of our ongoing efforts to give people new reasons to visit the town centre. Because we believe that culture should be at the heart of a town’s future, and this modern and welcoming hub aims to be inclusive and accessible. For everything. ”
The project was also nominated in the Regeneration Project of the Year category, alongside the £20m regeneration of Paisley Town Hall.
Architect Jordan McCray of Collective Architecture said: We are delighted that our client’s vision and team’s hard work has resulted in a stunning building that will provide a true public space for Paisley High Street and act as a catalyst for further regeneration of the area. ”
The building was delivered in partnership with Hub West Scotland. Ian Murray, CEO of Hub West Scotland, added: Creating new spaces and completely renovating and rejuvenating a 150-year-old building presented many challenges, but the project has delivered an impressive high-quality facility and has already generated widespread enthusiasm within the local community. I enjoy it and will play an important role in the whole thing. Regeneration of Paisley Town Center. He is also very proud that this project has enabled him to gain 8 work experiences and create his 4 new jobs. ”
The renovation was carried out by CCG Construction. CCG MD David Wylie commented: “The Scottish Property Awards are a prestigious institution for the Scottish construction industry and winning this year’s ESG Refurbishment Award is testament to the hard work of everyone involved. Notably, despite the aftermath of the pandemic, Our dedicated on-site team worked tirelessly through a highly complex construction program to deliver a truly outstanding new building that will delight the local community for years to come.”