Cunningham House

The development was designed by PagePark Architects with John Gilbert Architects and constructed by Stewart & Shields. A total of 13 energy efficient, one and two bedroom flats have been created in the church itself, while the attached vestry is now a three bedroom house. The new five storey apartment block, built to Passivhaus standard and comprising five two bedroom flats, has been constructed on the site of the church hall. A light, fully glazed link corridor enclosing the stairwell and lift connects the old to the new.

It is expected that the residents will see a significant reduction in fuel costs in their new homes and the Association will monitor the building’s performance over the coming years.

The location of Cunningham House in the centre of the Shettleston community, combined with its energy efficiency credentials make it an ideal development for older people. Residents will have easy access to local facilities and community activities and will benefit from the enhanced housing management support provided by the Association’s Retirement Housing Service.

Gillian Johnston, Chair of Shettleston Housing Association said: “Carntyne Church has been a prominent landmark in the East end for more than a century and the Association has been delighted to breathe new life into the building with this fantastic development. All of the new homes are built to an extremely high standard of energy efficiency and the Association is proud to deliver the first Passivhaus standard social rent homes in the city. Our tenants will reap the rewards of this through lower heating bills and improved comfort and we wish them all the very best in their new homes.”

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Cunningham House is without doubt a landmark in how we build homes in Glasgow. These are the first properties in the city to use the Passivhaus design– a pioneering standard of house building used in parts of Europe and North America which require very little energy for heating and cooling.  The extremely high construction standards will bring a host of benefits to residents, including lower fuel bills, improved air quality, a more comfortable living environment and reduced C02 emissions. I have always said that climate and social justice should go hand in hand and by tackling climate change and fuel poverty Passivhaus does just that.  I’m delighted this Shettleston Housing Association development could be supported through our Affordable Housing Supply programme and we will see many more housing developments in Glasgow using Passivhaus in the years ahead.”

This development was complete in June 2019.  Funding support for the development was provided by Glasgow City Council and Royal Bank of Scotland.