University of Aberdeen Library | 42m | 10 fl | Comp

[gothicform]

Construction work is now beginning on a brand spanking new library for the University of Aberdeen with the set up on site by contractor Pihl having started on the 27th of July.

The story of the new facility began back in 2005 and after running an international competition it was announced that Danish architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lessen had penned the winner.

Standing at 10 storeys in height, the new library is square in shape and set on a double height base that is inset slightly from the main bulk of the building.

This space is will serve as a reading room for the universities special collections library and will also showcase the rare books and documents it owns, a similar technique to the showpiece of the British Library in London.

From here the building rises to a flat peak and has sheer, glazed curtain walling that runs over the roof level of the building, the glazing which has an almost animalistic striping pattern to it is designed to act as a buffer against the elements for the building and in the winter when its dark will produce a warm looking glow making the building somewhat of a landmark while in the warmer summer months it will have a fresh airy look to it.

Inside, in sharp contrast to the buildings geometric outer appearance, a large organically shaped atrium cuts through every floor of the building not only allowing for visual connectivity throughout the entirety of the library but it also acts as the hub of the building and allows for extra study spaces to be created.

Along with private study spaces for students there will also be dedicated public spaces that will be used for holding exhibitions, readings and art and musical events.

Along with the new library a new service road will also be built from Bedford Road to the rear of the Fraser Noble building and Hub. Work is expected to be complete in time for the start of the academic year in 2011. Whether it becomes as iconic as some of the University of Aberdeen's other buildings such as Marischal College remains to be seen.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=5422
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2244

[NorthLimitation]

Looking pretty swank

[Quirinalian]

I can see it right now from my window. It's quite far along: much to my surprise, they started installing glass on the lower floors a couple of days ago. As I understand it, the library doesn't actually house any more space for books than the present Queen Mother Library - probably due to so much space being wasted due to the giant hole that goes down its core (or, pardon me, the 'organically shaped atrium').

So, what else: well, it's obscenely tall for a historic area. The only other building of comparable size in the Old Aberdeen campus (and it dominates the skyline less) is the Macrobert Building, which is the very drabbest sort of Brutalism and universally despised.

From the interior, it appears it will make many of the mistakes of other modern university libraries and library extensions in Scotland by assuming that open-plan computer banks are what students want from a library.

"Whether it becomes as iconic as some of the University of Aberdeen's other buildings such as Marischal College remains to be seen."

I can tell you now that it will not. It won't even be a New King's.

[legslikeaspider]

Originally Posted by Quirinalian

I can see it right now from my window. It's quite far along: much to my surprise, they started installing glass on the lower floors a couple of days ago. As I understand it, the library doesn't actually house any more space for books than the present Queen Mother Library - probably due to so much space being wasted due to the giant hole that goes down its core (or, pardon me, the 'organically shaped atrium').

So, what else: well, it's obscenely tall for a historic area. The only other building of comparable size in the Old Aberdeen campus (and it dominates the skyline less) is the Macrobert Building, which is the very drabbest sort of Brutalism and universally despised.

From the interior, it appears it will make many of the mistakes of other modern university libraries and library extensions in Scotland by assuming that open-plan computer banks are what students want from a library.

"Whether it becomes as iconic as some of the University of Aberdeen's other buildings such as Marischal College remains to be seen."

I can tell you now that it will not. It won't even be a New King's.

As modern, cheaply built buildings go, I think that's not bad at all and I'll bet it will be very pleasant inside. There's a similar-ish building on the campus of the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary which is used by the university medical faculty - you ever been in there?

Think its fair enough to build giant compooper clusters - so much research (and teaching) is done online these days. However, I would guess the majority of students have their own laptops now, so maybe it is a bit short-termist - still at least they can have the space for books when everybody has moved on to virtual reality contact lenses or whatever.

[gothicform]

Originally Posted by Quirinalian

I can see it right now from my window. It's quite far along: much to my surprise, they started installing glass on the lower floors a couple of days ago. As I understand it, the library doesn't actually house any more space for books than the present Queen Mother Library - probably due to so much space being wasted due to the giant hole that goes down its core (or, pardon me, the 'organically shaped atrium').

So, what else: well, it's obscenely tall for a historic area. The only other building of comparable size in the Old Aberdeen campus (and it dominates the skyline less) is the Macrobert Building, which is the very drabbest sort of Brutalism and universally despised.

From the interior, it appears it will make many of the mistakes of other modern university libraries and library extensions in Scotland by assuming that open-plan computer banks are what students want from a library.

"Whether it becomes as iconic as some of the University of Aberdeen's other buildings such as Marischal College remains to be seen."

I can tell you now that it will not. It won't even be a New King's.

can we have some pics? i can tell you how to post them

[Quirinalian]

Originally Posted by legslikeaspider

As modern, cheaply built buildings go, I think that's not bad at all and I'll bet it will be very pleasant inside. There's a similar-ish building on the campus of the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary which is used by the university medical faculty - you ever been in there?

Think its fair enough to build giant compooper clusters - so much research (and teaching) is done online these days. However, I would guess the majority of students have their own laptops now, so maybe it is a bit short-termist - still at least they can have the space for books when everybody has moved on to virtual reality contact lenses or whatever.

I'm afraid I've not really seen much around the ARI except what can be glanced at from the road. Is the new library cheap as buildings of that scale go?

As for the computer clusters, it's not so much the existence of computers I object to, but the layout and the prominence they're given in large open-plan spaces. I like libraries to have nooks, and occasionally crannies too, desks amongst the stacks, separated up. What I think of when I consider modern university libraries is something like the one at Dundee: the older extensions are simply massive work-areas, and the new extension is generally composed of this open plan office type design, which is frequently noisy and everyone is overlooking everyone else.

So what do I like? The Law Library at Aberdeen, for example, is 1970s-ish, and has hopelessly ugly stacks and interior decor, but it's divided up appropriately and has plenty of room to study - whilst people can use laptops in most areas, it isn't given over to computers. The old King's College Library, now the Conference Centre, also looks utterly wonderful in photographs.

Here's a library for you:

Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh

Originally Posted by gothicform

can we have some pics? i can tell you how to post them

I'm away for a week or so, but I'll see what I can do when I get back. I do warn you that the camera on my phone is fairly rubbish, but there are some good vantage points to look onto the construction site.

[gothicform]

camera phones are best used when its sunny. they should produce ok shots for internet use in those conditions... look forward to seeing it

[Quirinalian]

A few images of current progress, taken from the Elphinstone Road side.









As you can see, they've started fitting glass on the lower floors. The current Queen Mother Library is the modernist building which appears in all three images. The sandstone-built Meston Building appears in the left of the first image. The first image was taken a few days after the other two.

[Jamandell (d69)]

Seems so tiny compared to the massive Glasgow Uni library.

[NorthLimitation]

Originally Posted by Jamandell (d69)

Seems so tiny compared to the massive Glasgow Uni library.

And so much less of an absolute shit hole!

Yours, from the Glasgow uni library.

[Quirinalian]

Originally Posted by Jamandell (d69)

Seems so tiny compared to the massive Glasgow Uni library.

It's not the size, it's what you do with it that counts...

... in this case, however, the university seems to be using a major part of the interior as a big empty hole that travels the length of the building. Sounds like a novel suicide spot at least.

[HappilyINSANE]

Latest photos of the library most of the glass cladding has been complete for a month or so now although it will be next year before it opens. Looks quite impressive for Aberdeen. We could do with some more modern tall buildings up here I think some of the major oil companies should relocate their offices to the centre of town as the main industrial estates at altens and Dyce which are a nightmare to get out of at night. Only other examples of tall buildings in the last couple of years are the hotel at union square which is the the worst example of as building i have ever seen (10flr) and the new ARI (9flr)

[Ahhhh]

Originally Posted by HappilyINSANE

Latest photos of the library most of the glass cladding has been complete for a month or so now although it will be next year before it opens. Looks quite impressive for Aberdeen. We could do with some more modern tall buildings up here I think some of the major oil companies should relocate their offices to the centre of town as the main industrial estates at altens and Dyce which are a nightmare to get out of at night. Only other examples of tall buildings in the last couple of years are the hotel at union square which is the the worst example of as building i have ever seen (10flr) and the new ARI (9flr)

Funky, if that were in Glasgow it would be called the 'Zebra Box'

Which street is this on, do you know?

[HappilyINSANE]

Its part of the Aberdeen Uni campus in old Aberdeen it backs onto Bedford road although im usure if that would be its street address. Its certainly a landmark building for the Uni and that part of town.

[Ahhhh]

Originally Posted by HappilyINSANE

Its part of the Aberdeen Uni campus in old Aberdeen it backs onto Bedford road although im usure if that would be its street address. Its certainly a landmark building for the Uni and that part of town.

Ah, near St Machar Drive then

(I used to cycle along Bedford Road to/from school - nice memories...)

[Ahhhh]

Or poor memories apparently, it was the other side of that block, College Bounds, I used to use. Very nice area that

[Quirinalian]

Its main entrance faces onto Elphinstone Road. There's a 'road' of sorts - which I think is going to become a wholly pedestrian area, almost a square - that leads up to it but which is unnamed.

[Urban Life]

It's time this thread is bumped up since the University of Aberdeen Library is now open and (almost:P) complete. I took some photos at the end of last month and I must say that it is such a spectacular sight as you enter the building:

From the ground floor looking up:
image hosted on flickr


Due to the sheer size and space of the library, the atmosphere inside is totally different to a conventional library, i.e. having complete silence. This, I think isn't helped by the atrium running up the building, but to be fair there are silent study rooms for students to use. The views looking out of the library are distracting if you are trying to study , but gives a totally new perspective looking out over Aberdeen. There are many pros and cons that people have highlighted about the building, but as a student of the University, I feel the new development installs a sense of continued pride in the University and campus. It's a new landmark on the Aberdeen skyline. It's a place that I want to go and work in and is a world-class facility that boasts impressive modern features.

Anyway, here are some more photos of the library:

Looking towards the front of the building:
image hosted on flickr

A couple of night shots:

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

[foswellplace]

Absolutely stunning, inside and out.

It will be in line for next year's Stirling Prize.

A real addition to the city, particularly as St Nicholas's House is now, happily, coming down.

[bestbud]

Just had a flick through this thread. That is an absolutely fantastic building. Much credit to Aberdeen Uni and the architects involved. I hope Strathclyde Uni's TIC building is of the same quality, but I don't hold much hope.