The University of Glasgow’s Chemistry Department building was two-thirds completed between 1936 and 1939, but war halted construction, and the third wing was finally finished in 1954. It is now an A-listed building, and has mostly been completely refurbished inside. The Chemistry Department’s website has lots more info on the building.
Although this is a building in use, quite a few areas are out of bounds to students and most staff – I had permission and a guide for some areas.
The building from the outside:
The roof is covered with dozens of fume hood chimneys:
A few corridors still have original Mackintosh-style lockers:
In places, you can tell the third wing was built in the ’50s:
The basement boiler room – pressurised steam radiators used to be used, which were a bit troublesome:
This is the last of the original lecture theatres – now closed, and just about to be refurbished:
The lecture theatre ceiling is incredible:
And it has some beautiful old wooden steps and benches:
The two main stairwells are the stars of the building – here from above:
And here from the first floor:
The clean modernist design still shows through the later clutter:
And there are yet more dramatic staircases:
The janitors have wonderful little wooden boxes at the base of each stairwell, with little windows at the back as well. This one is unused, the other one is like a Tardis, with loads of computer and CCTV screens.
