The Project

Why does Scottish Ballet need to move?

Scottish Ballet is Scotland’s award-winning national dance company, and one of the UK’s leading dance companies. Scottish Ballet is widely recognised as having an exceptionally high artistic standard, yet its future and its ability to extend its first-class educational and dance-sector support, are severely hampered by the Company’s current dilapidated premises.

Dance spaces in the former Army drill hall are noisy, have no climatic control, and are very confined; the full Company is unable to rehearse, and in two (of four) studios, dancers cannot even perform a full lift! Poor changing and training facilities lead to health and hygiene issues. Space limitations hamper the Company’s ambitions to support the wider dance community, and to achieve its out-reach educational aims. Delivery access in the residential zone is problematic and the site is largely inaccessible to people with disabilities. The building is prone to sewage flooding and on-going repairs are uncovering extensive asbestos.

The Scottish Ballet Tramway Project

A new project is underway to construct a tailor-made home for Scottish Ballet, and thus a catalyst for a remarkable range of tangible benefits for Scotland. Consideration of over 184 possible sites led to ‘Tramway’, a well-respected contemporary arts venue in Glasgow’s inner city. The project will deliver:

• a unique multi-arts production and presentation centre of a nature and scale unrivalled in the UK
• world-class performance developed in purpose-built rehearsal spaces, and toured to 30 percent more people in communities small and large
• a new Education Centre to enrich teaching and learning for 25,000 people per annum across Scotland and the UK
• facilities that will allow Scottish Ballet to support training for talented 16 to 18 year olds – currently Scotland’s youngsters must move south in order to pursue their careers
• inner city regeneration, and restoration of architectural heritage
• dedicated studios and changing rooms for Scotland’s independent dance sector – the only facilities in the West of Scotland
• a Health and Fitness Studio and suitable changing areas to help prevent injury and to promote the dancers’ well-being
• the showcasing of work in adjacent Tramway performance spaces

Facilities include

• Studio 1 (400m2)
• Studio 2 (240m2)
• Studio 3 (196m2)
• Practice Studio (47m2)
• Education Centre (183m2)
• The Court Technical Workshop and Storage Wardrobe Department (376m2)
• Digital Video Editing Suite (50m2)
• Green Room and Kitchen (42m2)
• Independent Professional Dance Centre (136m2)
• Health and Fitness Centre for Injury Prevention and Treatment (80m2)
• Music Reprographics & Archive, Editing Suite and Practice Studio (48m2)

Project time-line

• 2005 - International architectural competitive tender
• 2006 - Detailed design development, planning approval and public funding complete, design and tender information prepared, demolition commences
• 2007 - Site stabilisation and piling, construction begins
• 2009 – Completion, move-in

A sustainable project with provision for on-going cost

The project is sustainable with provision for running and maintenance costs. It is delivered in partnership with Scottish Executive, Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and Glasgow City Council.

Modest project costs

The building will cost £11.035 million. Detailed projections show that the Scottish Ballet Tramway building will cost just £1,400 per square metre, compared to between £2,300 and £4,500 per square metre for other specialist dance facilities that have opened in the UK in recent years.