You voted for the ugliest building on campus and the results are IN

It was a tough roster but one had to be the ugliest

1 year ago

In a Tab Glasgow survey, we asked for your opinion as to which building on the UofG campus was the ugliest.

With six horrifying, nausea inducing, catastrophic contenders ready to battle it out, there could only be one winner. You might know it from being jump scared when walking to class, from the feeling of dread you experienced as the blood left your face when looking at your timetable only to find it listed as the location for your next class or from its scaffolding mangled exterior.

That’s right, a whopping 53 per cent of voters let it be known that the Adam Smith Building is the most ghastly place on campus, and not just as we enter into the spooky season.

Accessing the building

Although the building can be accessed from various directions, the majority of students go via the narrow lane which can be found parallel to the university library. Having gotten this far, students are then greeted with the view of a rubbish tip, with waste littered on the ground around it and the additional prospect of having to manoeuvre up the metal staircase provided to get to the building which, as I am sure you can imagine, becomes a perilous endeavour when wet.

Having succeeded in getting up the staircase and past the waste tip, depending on the entrance you choose, you can then advance through the canopy of scaffolding that drapes itself over the entirety of the building and past the graffiti covered walls which really sets the scene and creates an air of uncertainty and disgust for all students who are unfortunate enough to have a class here.

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It begs the question of whether you are in fact on campus for your studies or alternatively whether you have somehow entered a run down post apocalyptic cityscape where the Adam Smith Building is your last remaining chance of shelter? Even then, I think many would still opt out from having to go near this eye sore.

When interviewing students asking for their thoughts and experiences of the Adam Smith building, one student stated “Adam Smith would not have wanted this”. I think looking at this photo, we can agree that finding anyone who would want a building named after them to look like THAT would be a harder task than discovering the Holy Grail.

Inside

Upon entering the building the first corridor I cast my eyes on was, unfortunately, this one. The narrow passage with its white brick walls, dim lighting and stained carpet reminded me more of a prison or penitentiary than that of a place of learning. When asked, one student described the corridors as “eery” and that having to walk down one alone left them feeling as if they had just entered the backrooms. Having done a search of a backrooms corridor to make a comparison, it is easy to see why.

Adjacent to this corridor is the elevator for the building. Considering the building has eleven floors and a large influx of students. The practically minuscule metal box provided to ferry students up and down its towering physique is simply a health hazard.

The elevator can fit around five/six people in it and considering the majority of the students will have their bags with them containing the things they need for their classes makes getting in the lift a tight squeeze. One student who was interviewed didn’t even know the building had an elevator, which is not at all surprising considering it is tucked away in a poorly lit corner and requires a five minute wait almost always as it struggles to cater for the large influx of students attempting to travel up and down the buildings various floors.

The alternative mode of transport to traverse through the building is, to the distaste of many, taking the stairs.

The dizzying, tumultuous task of bracing the stairs is one that requires rigorous training and additional stretches before commencing. Considering the size of the building, the staircases provided are narrow and make battling through the rush of students leaving class not too dissimilar to the scene in The Lion King where Simba gets trapped in the cape buffalo herd migration.

If you happen to take the stairs when the post class stampede has finished, you might find yourself looking out the window in order to seek solace in your experience at the Adam Smith Building. In doing so, I’m afraid you will only be met with disappointment as the view that will greet you is nothing other than deflating.

If you unluckily find yourself in a classroom that isn’t the main lecture theatre you can expect to see rooms such as this:

Although not a classroom itself, it is situated right next to one which means that depending on the direction you approach from, you will have to pass this pigsty of a room. If you had some form of inspiration about the learning experience you were just about to have before seeing this. It will be gone. Whether this room is a result of construction or whether it has become a ghostly, empty relic? The fact is that it is horrifying.

The Adam Smith Lecture Theatre

The Adam Smith building has many classrooms. However, none of them compare to the Adam Smith lecture theatre. It is one of the only redeeming features of this unfortunate building. The large room can hold a considerable class capacity with spacious benches that allow for a comfortable learning experience, one which lecture theatres in other buildings on campus are unable to replicate.

The large floor to ceiling windows with asymmetrical window panes make for the room to be filled with natural light and present a view across the Glasgow west end. This being said, it is not enough to redeem the overall experience endured by the students having class here.

Students remain disappointed and critical of the Adam Smith Building, having spoken to those attending class here the general consensus was negative. One student said: “This building has sucked the life out of me, it is impossible to romanticise uni life there”. While another claimed that “spending time in this building has only increased my seasonal depression”.

Overall, it is clear to see why this building was voted the ugliest building on campus.