April 30 2021

The University of Glasgow has opened the doors to the latest addition to its Gilmorehill campus, the James McCune Smith Learning Hub.

The £90m teaching and learning facility has been designed by HLM for use by over 2,500 students and includes individual study spaces for students unable to study from home.

Project architect Andy Nicoll said: “Located at the heart of the campus, the new James McCune Smith Learning Hub has been designed to deliver an exceptional student experience within a dynamic learning environment.

“With a variety of interactive teaching and active learning spaces, it will support a motivated, vibrant, and diverse community of learners and academics to evolve efficient and effective learning methodologies through both group and individual study.”

Named after the prominent civil rights activist and first African American to receive a medical degree, awarded by the University of Glasgow in 1837, the facility opened for the first time this week.

4 Comments

#1 Posted by Wokey MacWoke on 30 Apr 2021 at 16:04 PM

Great building, love the name, so woke.

#2 Posted by Roddy_ on 30 Apr 2021 at 23:55 PM

Heavy, corporate, science park architecture from corporate science park architects, that has been cut and pasted into the highly granular urban form of the West-End. This, too, appears to be the paradigm for the rest of the Gilmorehill Masterplan; the ARC, Clarice Pears and Adam Smith buildings pretty much all following suit. Sensitive and responsive architecture as well as local distinctiveness seems to have been a very low priority for both patrons and designers. Alas.

#3 Posted by University Avenue on 4 May 2021 at 12:13 PM

In fairness I do appreciate the colourful conversation of curves established with the Wolfson Medical School. Context is a double-edged sword when your immediate neighbour is the Boyd Orr Building.

#4 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 5 May 2021 at 12:36 PM

Pretty low rent stuff -- no innovation and little character.

Bit of a downgrade from the Western and its 60's sprawl.

Huge missed opportunity.

Like much of modern Scotland -- They have the money but not the ambition or the skill.

Surely some money could be found for the other end of the campus -- Bearsden Tech is looking very run-down at the moment.

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