Glasgow Uni’s buildings ranked from most to least ugly

The question on everone’s minds: where will Boyd Orr rank?

3 years ago

Glasgow University is a pretty picturesque campus overall. The cloisters are Insta worthy and the main building resembles something from a Harry Potter film.

However, the campus is also home to some depressing architecture, so we have ranked all of the main campus buildings from most to least ugly.

7) Most Ugly: Adam Smith Building

If the first word that comes to mind upon thinking of this building isn’t stairs, you clearly haven’t spent enough time here. Adam Smith is a piece of pretty depressing architecture, with what feels like 300 floors and the narrowest staircase known to mankind. However, if you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to use the lift on the one day a year it isn’t broken, you’ll know that the thousands of stairs are definitely preferable.

6) St Andrew’s Building

St Andrew’s building is notorious for only one thing –how far away it is from everything else. It’s one of the most overlooked buildings in the uni, because it’s so distant, but let’s be honest, if you completely forgot it exists, you aren’t missing out on much. It looks like a secondary school from the front, and a dreary Victorian orphanage from the back.

5) Boyd Orr

Often named as the last great piece of Soviet-reminiscent architecture in Glasgow uni, Boyd Orr is constantly debated as being either the sexiest, or the ugliest building on campus. Whether you love or loathe it, you can’t deny its significance in the hearts of the students.

4) University Gardens

Because these buildings are basically just converted houses, they often have quite a bizarre layout. Entering these buildings kind of feels like home invasion, and I don’t know if you’ve ever had a class in what is essentially a pretty swanky dining room, but something about it doesn’t feel quite right.

3) Library

Despite being the tallest building on campus, the library doesn’t look like much from the outside, but on the inside, it’s full of personality. Whether you’re enjoying the cookies available, writing a Glasknow post about the fit boy sitting across the room from you that you’re now convinced is your soulmate, or you’re one of the few people that actually uses the library to do work, frequent users of this fine establishment will be sure to defend it until the very end.

2) Main Campus buildings

Often likened to Hogwarts, the main campus buildings are grand and majestic, with plenty of Instagrammable spots (the cloisters being a particular favourite of the students). Despite being a bit of a labyrinth, the Main Campus is generally aesthetically pleasing. If you’re trying to spot Glasgow Uni students sipping a soy latte whilst reading a book on obscure French philosophy, or something equally as artsy, the grass squares in the courtyard are probably your best bet.

1) Least Ugly: GUU

GUU not only looks the part from the outside, but it is also home to some of the uni’s finest extracurricular establishments. To many students, Hive and Beer Bar feel more like home than their flats. Even the name GUU can evoke feelings of warmth and belonging to any Glasgow Uni student, and walking up those stairs at the entrance feels like walking up the stairway to heaven.