The Dundee Civic Trust Board will be considering the proposal to develop the ailing Wellgate Centre into a hub for Dundee and Angus College, as outlined recently by the College Principal, Simon Hewitt.
“Our preliminary view,” says Trust chairman Donald Gordon, “is that this has the potential to help significantly in the regeneration of a neglected building in a struggling area of Dundee.
“The Kingsway campus was always in the wrong place, the Constitution Road tower even worse; so a city centre campus, in a shopping centre that will be redeveloped and restored, has exciting promise. It will fill the town with students and staff, and this will support local businesses. Many are likely to want to live nearby, and this should also provide a ‘buzz’ and vitality that should be apparent in every large city centre.”
A matter to challenge the Trust is that it is not clear from the initial proposal as to how much of the existing Wellgate Centre would be retained, and how much demolished. The removal of some of the unneeded parts may be appropriate and essential, but modern planning and architectural policies tend to dictate that when being redeveloped all, or at least large sections, of existing buildings should be retained. Embedded carbon is present in huge quantities in existing buildings, which is released into the environment when a building is demolished. Also, the materials and construction techniques needed for a new building generate very significant carbon emissions. Both of these issues can be mitigated by the effective reuse, recycling, and repurposing of much of the existing building.
We hope to have more to report soon.
