The Sensory Spine
By Callum Devine
Glasgow Urban Art
The Botanic Gardens has been one of the West End’s most popular attractions ever since it moved to its current location in 1842. For almost two centuries, generations of Glaswegians have passed through its gates to admire the rich variety of native and non-native flora housed in the gardens and to briefly escape the hustle and bustle of neighbouring Great Western Road.
Simply, it is a site which has stood the test of time.
This, however, cannot be said for the former train station which used to lie within its gates.
The Botanic Gardens Railway Station
Abandoned for over eighty years, the Botanic Gardens Railway Station is a site now lost to history. The derelict station now waits patiently for a breath of new life. It is against this backdrop that four landscape architects from Glasgow-based architect firm TGP Landscape Architects (Rashmi Pai Dongerkerry, Ezgi Aydin, Olga Martynenko and Aishwarya Kohli) decided to launch a design project aiming to revitalise this lost site. Although it is only a design project, and there are currently no plans to bring it to fruition, it is certainly worth looking into it and celebrating this amazing achievement!
I use the word “achievement” not solely because of how impressive the design project is, but also since the project was a deserved finalist at the 2025 International Streetlife Design Competition. Out of over eighty entries submitted, the group was one of just ten to be invited to present their entry, titled “The Sensory Spine”, at the competition’s 2025 final in Leiden, Netherlands on 28th March.
The Sensory Spine
As the images show, the project is unbelievably innovative. It uses the station’s current structure (and its open, semi-open, and closed spaces) to stimulate each of the five senses. To give just a couple of examples, the project uses scented plants located within a locomotive-shaped glasshouse to activate one’s sense of smell and uses a vertical herb garden to activate one’s sense of taste. With its netted play area, it would also be family friendly too!
Speaking with Westender Magazine, Ezgi Aydin said that the main aim of the design project was to “revitalise the site whilst also [still] respecting the existing iconic structure.”
The design project certainly does this and, through extensively using both native and non-native plants, I’d say it more than fits in with the rest of the Botanic Gardens too.
TGP Landscape Architects
On the subject of presenting their project, Rashmi Pai Dongerkerry commented that: “Being the only group from Scotland was a really important thing for us. We were a mix of emotions: excited, nervous, but certainly proud!” The group even wore some tartan for the occasion too!
Again, there are currently no plans to renovate the Botanic Gardens Railway Station. However, I think this design project shows that there is no shortage of innovative ideas when it comes to revitalising it. The group are planning to submit their project to Glasgow City Council so let’s hope that it does happen!
There is so much more I could say about the team’s project, check it out yourself using the link below. Try to spot the Scottish Piper hidden in one of the pictures too!
For more information on this new Glasgow Urban Art design visit –
