Wasps Studios, the UK’s largest provider of creative spaces, was founded in 1977 to meet the demand for artist studio provision across Scotland. Since then, they have grown their portfolio to include over 20 buildings where over 1,000 innovators and 33 cultural organisations can flourish. Two of their properties, South Block and The Briggait, are located within Glasgow City Innovation District.
As a registered charity, they have raised over £30 million and invested in buildings for the benefit of the cultural sector in Scotland, with supporters like the Scottish Government, Historic Environment Scotland, Architectural Heritage Fund and Glasgow City Council.
Wasps is headquartered at The Briggait in Merchant City. This former fish market and category A-listed landmark was transformed by Wasps in 2010 into a creative hub featuring artist studios, creative offices and a full calendar of events including the Glasgow Coffee Festival, which recently celebrated its 10th year in May 2024.
The organisation is currently in the process of restoring the remaining market hall spaces at The Briggait, the 1899 and 1904 Halls, which have remained derelict since the late 1970s. This exciting project will return the oldest surviving collection of market halls in Scotland to public use for the first time in 50 years, and make an incredible asset to the riverside as a destination for events, the creative industries and hospitality.
Their second property in the Glasgow City Innovation District is South Block; a vibrant studio and creative office complex in the Trongate area. This £3.5 million refurbishment project that opened in 2013 now provides upwards of 96 spaces for Glasgow’s cultural producers including studios for visual artists and makers, offices for creative companies and social enterprises working in the cultural sector, meeting rooms and events spaces.
Being based within the Glasgow City Innovation District puts both locations at the heart of a creative talent pool surrounded by other innovators, fostering a vibrant cultural community that Glasgow can be proud of.
Wasps is an incredible asset to the city for their ability to redevelop historic yet redundant buildings. By converting them into bespoke and much-needed facilities for artists, makers, creative industries, social enterprises and charities, they are generating employment within the city centre and improving the economy of local communities.