Former Strathclyde Union to get £30m makeover

Charles Huang's venture supplied rapid lateral flow tests during the Covid-19 pandemic

A former students' union building which has played host to bands including Fleetwood Mac and The Who is to get a £30m makeover.

For six decades Strathclyde Union in Glasgow's John Street was vital part of student life, with six bars over 10 floors.

But the building, which was built in 1959, has lain empty since 2021 when the union was rehomed in nearby Richmond Street.

Now the University of Strathclyde has unveiled plans to create an innovation hub in the 1950s building, thanks to a donation from a former student.

The funding came from Charles Huang, who gained an MBA from the university in 1989 and a marketing PhD in 1994.

He donated £50m to the university in 2021 - one of the largest single donations made to any Scottish university.

The first £20m of his donation was used to create an institute named after Dr Huang's PhD supervisor, Prof Stephen Young, who died in 2021.

The new venue will be named the Charles Huang Advanced Technology & Innovation Centre (CHATIC).

Dr Huang founded and chairs the US-based private equity firm Pasaca Capital Inc.

One of its ventures was Innova Medical Group, which developed the rapid lateral flow tests used in Covid-19 testing programmes and secured billion-pound deals to supply them in the UK during the pandemic.

He said the university had played a "critical role" in his career and business success.

The union was popular with students over several decades

The refurbishment of the John Street building is expected to be completed in 2026.

The university said renovating the building would would emit around 67% less carbon than a new-build, and would retain a building which "holds many memories for Strathclyders and Glaswegians more widely".

The original 1960s users of the building were given a place for meals, study, recreation, formal consultancy and a bar “in which the student can learn and practice the arts of meeting and working with his fellows".

By the 1970s it was a renowned music venue, bringing big names to the Glasgow music scene.

Among those who played at the Union were The Kinks, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, U2, Blondie, The Fratellis, Frightened Rabbit and Calvin Harris.

Prof Sir Jim McDonald said the Charles Huang centre would facilitate innovation and research

The new centre will provide space for businesses to be based within the university campus and facilities for high tech fields such as health technologies, 5G communications, industrial AI and space research.

It will also house hubs for entrepreneurship and social innovation.

Prof Sir Jim McDonald, the university's principal and vice-chancellor, said CHATIC would facilitate new opportunities for innovation and research and "create opportunities for our students to engage with industry research partners".

"We are hugely grateful to Charles for his very generous contribution to this project and are delighted to recognise this through the naming of the new building," he said.

Lina Tullberg, CEO of the Charles Huang Foundation, said they were "thrilled" to see the donation come to fruition and meet his original objectives.

"The CHATIC is the last piece of the programmes funded by the donation, with the other elements progressing well,” she added.