Queensland Court and Gardens, for Southside Housing Association (SHA) in partnership with Glasgow City Council, has transformed an underused, flood-prone site into a vibrant, resilient green infrastructure asset for the local community.

The project serves residents of two high-rise apartment blocks totalling 228 homes and lies within the 10% of most deprived areas in Scotland. This green infrastructure retrofit has revitalised the landscape setting of the towers, integrating features that address local flood risks and support sustainable, low-carbon living.

Through extensive consultation, we engaged with residents and stakeholders to shape a vibrant, community centred design which includes an outdoor socialising area and informal woodland.

The attractive new space also features dedicated toddler and children’s play spaces with climbing frames and slides, as well as a bicycle pump track and cycle storage facilities to encourage active travel.

Sustainable drainage measures that mimic nature such as raingardens, basins, and swales, have also been retrofitted on site so that localised flood risk is reduced, supporting Cardonald and Hillington area’s wider flood mitigation efforts.

This award-winning project has received recognition from both Building with Nature and the Landscape Institute for its role in creating a sustainable, resilient, and biodiverse environment within an urban setting.