David Hume Tower (Block A) And Lecture Block (Block B) Including Stepped Podium, Arts Faculty, University Of Edinburgh, 40 George Square

David Hume Tower (Block A) and Lecture Block (Block B), with Stepped Podium, Arts Faculty, University of Edinburgh, 40 George Square

David Hume Tower (Block A) is a 14-storey rectangular-plan slab block on an east-west axis, designed by Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall and Partners (with John Richards as project architect) between 1960 and 1963. Built by Crudens with structural engineering by Blyth & Blyth, it forms part of a Modernist faculty group set on a stepped concrete podium. The tower has a reinforced concrete structure with brick infill. A single-storey outshot extends to the rear.

The east and west elevations are clad in polished black slate, with the vertical emphasis accentuated by the arrangement of slate slabs, which continue above the parapet and envelope the plant room. The north and south end elevations are clad in York sandstone, with random rubble Craigmillar stone at sub-podium level. A narrow projecting glazed tower to the south contains the fire stair. The north end elevation is blind.

Windows are arranged in pairs horizontally across seven structural bays. Horizontal articulation is further provided by receding façades at the second, third, sixth and seventh floors. Double-glazed horizontal rolling windows in aluminium frames are set in hardwood sub-frames. The main entrance features large plate glass windows to the left, sheltered under a cantilevered canopy. To the right, deeply recessed windows create a loggia spanning two structural bays. A glass box outshot to the rear has vertical metal-framed panes with black slabs to the parapet above. Timber-framed glazed doors at sub-podium level on Windmill Street open to the east.

Internally, vertical circulation is provided by central stairs on the west (George Square) side, three lifts to the rear, and the fire stair to the south. Accommodation comprises lecture, seminar and tutorial rooms, with staff offices and departmental libraries. The arrangement varies floor to floor, with lecture rooms positioned to the north and libraries to the south; other rooms between these are accessed from a central corridor. Larger faculty rooms occupy the podium level. The first floor contains a conference room and Dean's offices. Interior finishings make extensive use of red hardwood and veneered plywood, with fire-screens of hardwood and wired glass. High-quality fittings include hardwood cupboards and counters. Hardwood doors have black hand-plates and kick-plates. Stair balustrades are hardwood with glass screens. Flooring is mainly rubber, with black marbled linoleum on stairs and ceramic tiles in the entrance foyer.

The Lecture Block (Block B), also designed by Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall and Partners with John Richards as project architect, was built between 1961 and 1963 by Crudens, with structural engineering by Blyth & Blyth. This 2-storey rectangular-plan block, with a basement at sub-podium level, forms part of the same Modernist faculty group and sits on the edge of the podium to the northeast of Hume Tower.

The Lecture Block is constructed in reinforced concrete with reinforced concrete walls. The exterior is clad with York stone slabs, with exposed cast concrete visible beneath overhangs. The 2nd storey is blind and dominates the façade, contrasting with a row of timber-framed doors and windows under the overhang on the west elevation. Timber-framed windows at basement level open to the east. Cantilevered overhangs at front and rear express the raked seating and performance areas.

Internally, the Lecture Block is divided horizontally into three auditoria: two seating 251 each and a larger room with 352 seats. Each auditorium has two entrances with stairs from the foyer and crush space. A linking stair connects to the basement-level circulation space of the faculty complex. The basement houses a refectory kitchen, rest rooms and listening rooms, with windows to the east.

The stepped podium extends along the whole south side and half of the east side of George Square. It accommodates a group of low buildings arranged around the feature tower (Hume Tower) to the southeast. Buildings are linked at sub-podium level by a corridor, refectory and other rooms lit by windows onto a sunken garden court. Service access and car parking occupy the southernmost part, with vehicle entrances on Buccleuch Place and Windmill Lane. A wide stair descends to Buccleuch Place to the south. The podium deck is a concrete slab cast using fibreglass pans; its grid resolves the different spans of the buildings. The coffered concrete roof is exposed internally. The podium is paved with textured Granolithic slabs. Some areas of basement wall are faced with random rubble, and the sunken court is surfaced with 18th-century granite setts, both recycled from the site.