Future
Govan Traditional Boat Building Centre
Imagine a bold, beautiful 21st century longhouse, inspired by 1000 years of Govan history but built by local people to enrich their community’s future. Imagine this 150ft timber-framed architectural creation, taking root on the south bank of the newly revitalised River Clyde.
Inside, a huge 70-ft Birlinn – the first full-scale Gaelic-Norse longboat to be produced in Scotland for centuries – is being crafted under the eye of master shipwrights who plied their trade here during the days when Govan’s shipyards were alive with industry.
Outside, a brand new quay and slipway, built using reclaimed dockside granite, is situated ready to launch the boats that are being created here by people who might otherwise be unemployed. By bring people back to the River, we bring the River back to the people; expanding sense of territory and connection to the landscape around them.
This is GalGael’s urban vision; an ambitious community self-build initiative to create a unique centre for heritage, boat-building, craftwork and vocational training in an area that was once at the heart of Glasgow’s world-famous shipbuilding industry. The initiative will engage the whole community in a ‘demanding common task’ that in the words of Rev. George McLeod is necessary to rebuild community. Following decades of economic decline and social deprivation, the Govan Longhouse & Quay Initiative will act as a catalyst for community-based regeneration, fusing elements of the area’s heritage with cutting-edge design and sustainable materials to create a fresh vibrancy on the Clyde. In both its materials and design, the building will reflect the indigenous cultures and traditions of Scotland in ways that imaginatively re-envision the regions future developments.
A model of environmentally responsible, contemporary architecture, built and managed by local people, the Govan Boat Building Centre & Quay will help to redefine the new Clydeside. The development will rekindle community pride, whilst enriching the local economy through people’s ongoing creative involvement; empowering local residents to take ownership of the physical regeneration process and re-rooting it at the heart of the community.
