How to get here
The Art School venue is easy to find as it is very central – about a 12-minute walk from Buchanan Street Bus Station. However, the surrounding area has some steep streets (the aptly named Hill Street, Renfrew Street and Scott Street), and some of the pavements in places have no drop curbs. The area directly outside the venue is step-free.
Bus
The nearest bus stop is on Sauchiehall Street, which is well-connected. The buses that stop here are 3, 4, 15, 77, N2, N3, N4, N18, N38, N240, N267, X25, X25A, X76 and the X77. The journey from this stop to the venue is 3-4 minutes.
Subway
The nearest subway station is Cowcaddens. This station is not step-free or wheelchair accessible. It has two flights of stairs or escalators and no lift. The journey from the station is step-free but can be steep and windy in places. The journey from the station to the venue takes around 7 minutes.
Taxi
If you are at the venue and need a staff member to call a taxi for you or help you order a taxi please speak to someone who is described as below in the staff section. We recommend Glasgow Taxis; their phone number is: 0141 429 7070.
Drive
There are very few on-street parking spaces directly outside the venue on Scott Street.
Staff
This event will be supported by two staff teams, one from the venue and one from the Counterflows Festival. The venue staff wear their own clothes. Counterflows Staff and Volunteers wear black t-shirts with a Counterflows 2025 design on them.
The staff will be scattered around the venue and will be present to assist with opening doors, finding a seat and any other support requests you have. There will also be security on site but they will not be checking bags or IDs.
Building Main Entrance
There is one entrance to Civic House. Through the brown doors, there are no steps. The doors should be propped open or there will be staff present to open them.
Once inside there is a lift which takes you up to the performance area.
Emergency Evacuation
Fire exits are marked with lit-up green emergency signage. Staff will guide you out of the building. Evacuation via lift is the only step-free evacuation option. This limits how many wheelchair users we can have at the event safely and requires that you let us know you are coming beforehand by contacting the venue by phone:
We realise that this is not an adequate level of accessibility for wheelchair users or those needing step-free access to our events at this venue and we are working on improving this. Please contact Counterflows through the contact channels below if you would like to discuss this before attending.
General Environment
The Art School venue is an active art school, part of Glasgow School of Art. While this venue hosts events open to the public it is still technically a ‘member’s club’ (student venue) therefore there may be a lot of students and staff in the audience and around the venue. This building has four floors. The decor is dark, black, grey and red with little to no pattern other than the flooring in the Vic Bar which is black and white check. The rest of the flooring is smooth and plain black with no pattern. The lighting will be dim, possibly with red light strips at the side of the performance space (refer to the picture above).
Tickets will be checked at the door by a staff member. You can provide either digital tickets on your phone or a paper printout.
The Vic Bar
Performance Space
When you come onto the venue floor landing, the doors for the performance area are on the left. The space is a rectangular ‘medium-sized’ capacity venue (300 approx.) with a bar. Gender-neutral toilets and accessible toilets on the bottom floor and top floor only. Through the double doors, there is a bar which will be providing alcohol and soft drinks to purchase. The performance area will have around 150 seats, with some reserved for accessible seating; the performance will take place on a raised stage.
Ear Safety and Protection
There will be earplugs and ear defenders (limited number) available at the box office. The box office will be in the reception of each venue.
Seating
The seating options available are unpadded chairs with backs and no arms or unpadded wooden benches with no backs.
Toilets
The accessible toilets are on the ground floor basement and top floor above the performance area. The door is not automated but there will be staff present if you need assistance. The door handle needs to be turned left from the outside to open it. The accessible toilet has grab rails, a lowered sink and an emergency cord. Gender-neutral cubicle toilets are also on the ground floor.
Contacts
If there is an access barrier that we have not covered in this document, please let us know as we strive to make everyone welcome at our events. We are happy to try and provide solutions to any access barriers that may stop you from attending an event in person if you want to be there. If you would like to contact us for a chat or to share any access requirements, please call or email us.
If you would like to discuss any access-related concerns or questions you have, please contact Counterflows by phone or email.
Email: counterflows@gmail.com
Phone: Alasdair Campbell 07939607934
If no one answers, please leave a message and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.
To notify the Art School venue about access concerns or anything else please phone: [x] or email:
For additional information about the building including floor plans and general access information please refer to the venue’s website:
