Vita Group
Navigate
met tower glasgow

Vita Group Acquires Glasgow’s Iconic Met Tower

Glasgow, 7 August 2025– Vita Group has acquired the Met Tower, one of Glasgow’s most recognisable landmarks. It plans to introduce its award-winning Union co-living concept to Scotland for the first time. The redevelopment aims to breathe new life into the former college building, which has stood vacant for over a decade.

The Union model enables individuals, couples, and small groups to select the apartment size that best suits their needs, while providing access to shared amenities designed to foster vibrant, connected communities. By reopening the Met Tower, Union will bring it back into civic life, create new communities, and rejuvenate this key central site.

The Met Tower scheme would support a thriving new community of City Centre professionals, directly helping to attract and retain Glasgow’s growing population and generate new economic activity. Vita’s ambitions align with Glasgow City Council’s City Centre Strategy 2024–30, which aims to double the city centre residential population by 2035, repurpose underused buildings, and develop vibrant mixed-use neighbourhoods.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “This is fantastic news for the future of a listed Glasgow landmark – and for the ongoing transformation of our city centre.  And I’m delighted with this vote of confidence in a city centre where more and more people are choosing to live and invest.

“Vita’s plans will bring what is an emerging accommodation concept to Glasgow, one that’s been successful elsewhere and which can meet the needs of many younger residents. 

“When it first opened in the early 1960s, the Met Tower was a symbol of a new and modern Glasgow. I look forward to it once again becoming a potent symbol of our changing city centre.”

Vita is working on detailed plans and looks forward to sharing these with the people of Glasgow as soon as possible. Concepts under consideration include revitalising the Met Tower, creating high-quality communal spaces, and improving connections between existing and new structures, as well as the surrounding streets.

Max Bielby, Chief Operating Officer of Vita Group, said, “Glasgow is a city with exceptional energy, creativity, and talent, and the Met Tower is an iconic part of its skyline. We see a real opportunity to explore how our Union concept could bring much-needed accommodation to the heart of the city, supporting its employment base, culture, and social scene.

“We have a long history of delivering projects that work for Scotland, and we’re committed to working in partnership with Glasgow to develop plans that respond to its priorities and breathe new life into a building that has historically been an engine of opportunity for young people.”

The acquisition is part of Vita Group’s long-term commitment to Scotland, where it has already completed three communities providing over 1,000 beds for students and young professionals, with three more schemes underway that will add another 1,232 beds.

Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “We’re pleased to see Vita Group recognise the opportunity that Glasgow’s growing economy presents, particularly through its continued investment in key sites across the city, including the ABC building on Sauchiehall Street and India Street.

“The acquisition of the Met Tower, given its prime location, scale, and prominence, is another welcome vote of confidence in Glasgow’s future. As the city’s innovation economy continues to expand, supported by the city region’s innovation districts, developments like this have the potential to play a significant role in driving forward the Glasgow City Innovation District and the wider city centre economy.”

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Convener for Housing, Development, Built Heritage and Land Use at Glasgow City Council, said: “Over a decade since its closure, it’s great to see that a developer with a track record of success like Vita has a solution for the future of the Met Tower, a landmark on our skyline for over 60 years.

“It shows that our efforts to attract significant levels of investment and develop high-quality residential developments are paying off. I’m sure Glaswegians will be delighted to see new uses and new purposes for well-known older buildings.   

“The message from this administration to the development community is loud and clear. We’re committed to delivering thriving, dynamic, and transformed Glasgow, and we welcome quality proposals that help deliver that vision.” 

Vita’s approach will draw on the success of Union Manchester, which opened earlier this year with more than 1,600 co-living beds and shared spaces, including co-working areas, a residents’ bar, wellness facilities, and social lounges. Both Manchester buildings are already entirely let, demonstrating strong demand for flexible, community-driven city centre living.

Place & Community

01

Place & Community

Create thriving communities, a principle which has been with us from the very start, it’s simply not good enough to create a building without thinking carefully about its context and the wider impact it has on its surrounding neighbourhood. We’re driven to create communities within communities as well as respond to and complement the neighbourhood and its eco-system. Creating tomorrow’s city living means we must be part of the DNA of that city and partnering with local authorities. This includes connecting with local suppliers, talent, charities, and businesses, collaborating on important community initiatives and helping to develop surrounding spaces. It’s not just about helping to regenerate cities; it’s helping them to function effectively.

Society

08

Society

We know that in helping to create tomorrow’s cities, we have a responsibility to have the best possible impact on society as a whole. As such, we won’t be afraid to challenge those things which just don’t sit right. So don’t be surprised to see us take a knee at the start of a sporting event, celebrate key religious holidays, and fly the rainbow flag for pride. To create a better tomorrow, we must stand together today.

Environment

03

Environment

To really effect change and create a platform in which cities thrive, we know we need to look beyond building design, carbon creation and energy usage. We must tackle bigger issues and help change behaviours, as such we’re creating initiatives which help users across the platform understand the role they can play in reducing our impact on the world.

Sustainable Operations

04

Sustainable Operations

Continually reduce our use of the planet’s valuable resources, working towards net-zero carbon, sourcing green energies and reducing non-recyclable waste.

Building Design

05

Building Design

Building design – create a harmonic balance between buildings, the environment and their users. Constantly looking at ways we can improve efficiency (reducing U and Y values), reduce embodied carbon through production whilst ensuring wellbeing through design and innovation to create high performing buildings which enable their occupants to live more healthily and productively. It includes elements such as air quality, sustainable construction and amenities.

Governance

06

Governance

Applying best practice and the highest standards and ethics to everything we do. From how we manage personal data to how we conduct our business in every aspect of the corporate and consumer realm. Our policies and practices ensure we’re constantly reviewing, auditing and ensuring statutory compliance and principled integrity. We are guided by best-in-class professional advisory firms in developing and reviewing our corporate policies, as well as following national guidance on health and safety and sector-specific codes of practice to ensure we maintain the state of the art.

Welfare & Wellbeing

07

Welfare & Wellbeing

Provide a welfare and wellbeing care package for all our people to access. Ensure every resident feels welcome, is part of the community and has the best possible opportunity to thrive incorporating physical and mental wellbeing. This includes constantly evolving our services such as the duty of care charter, onboarding events, our state-of-the-art gyms and free to use bikes.

Talent

02

Talent

Create a culture and environment which allows our colleagues to thrive. We recruit the very best people and give them the opportunity to be better. From our fair pay policies and flexible working, to personal development programmes, life shaping experiences, and inclusive recruitment, everyone has the best opportunity to thrive.