Until the mid-1980s, hearings took place in the
Old Sheriff Court in Wilson Street. However, as the number of court cases in Glasgow grew, it became necessary to commission a modern courthouse for criminal matters. The site the court officials selected had previously been occupied by the Gorbals School located on the corner of Clyde Place and Buchan Street, but also facing onto Kirk Street, all of which were cleared in the mid-20th century. The new court is located at 1 Carlton Place in the
Gorbals area of Glasgow, on the banks of the
River Clyde and adjacent to
Glasgow Central Mosque. It is a three-storey building of large cut stone construction and was designed by the local architectural firm Keppie Design. The building is notable for its imposing mock
Brutalist form – with its detail interior features being strongly influenced by the style of
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, with bespoke light fittings, skylights, dividing walls and lift interiors all designed to the Mackintosh language. The main atrium and circulation spaces conformed strongly to the Brutalist paradigm, with soaring exposed concrete ceilings and pillars. The building was formally opened by Queen
Elizabeth II on 29 July 1986. In 2008, the roof of the building was fitted with 700 square metres of solar panels, with the capacity to create some 97 kW of power. The system cost £500,000 to install, has an expected life-span of forty years, and is predicted to cut £20,000 from the Court's electricity bill, whilst saving around forty tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. ==Operations==