The Tower, University Of Dundee, Perth Road

The Tower at the University of Dundee, on Perth Road, was constructed between 1958 and 1961 to a design by Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall and Partners, with A F D Crawley as project architect, and built by Charles Gray (Builders) Limited. A later reworking of the fourth floor occurred between 1999 and 2000 by James F Stephen Architects, based in Glamis. It is a notable example of one of Scotland’s earliest constructed multi-storey towers, situated on raised ground with landscaped gardens facing the main southern elevation towards the road.

The building is a 12-storey tower with a basement and roof terrace, oriented on a north-south axis. It incorporates a three-storey, flat-roofed wing with a further roof terrace and a double-height lecture theatre projecting to the east; a later teaching wing extends to the west. The structure is a reinforced concrete frame faced predominantly with Auchinlea stone. Accents include faience tiles (vitreous enamel panels) with horizontal bands of glazing and cedar panelling, alongside cedar frames for aluminium horizontal sliding windows.

The principal southeast elevation features an entrance at the base of the tower, with steps leading to a deeply set replacement door and two window bays extending upwards through all floors. Cantilevered bays wrap around the southwest angle at the fourth floor. A vertical sandstone band is present to the right, punctuated by small vertical windows. The three-storey wing on the outer right includes a cantilevered first floor below the roof terrace and a taller lecture theatre with double-height transomed windows at the upper floors. The rear (northwest) elevation has timber-framed glazed doors under a projecting canopy, supported by simple pilotis. The southwest side of the tower has five-bay window bands wrapping around the outer right angle, and a vertical sandstone band to the left.

The interior of the tower retains its original room layout, including an open-plan ground floor reception area with front-to-rear circulation, a university War Memorial, a staircase to the west, and three timber-fronted lifts to the east. Internal spaces consist of administrative and staff offices alongside meeting rooms. The first floor hosts the Lamb Gallery and exhibition space, the second floor connects to the horizontal northwest wing, the fourth floor (now reworked) contains the Principal’s Office (formerly a Senate Room), and the 12th floor accommodates a café. Original hardwood doors are largely intact, with replacement timber fire doors at the stairwells. Timber finishes and granite window cills are also present, along with timber-lined cupboards in some former lecture rooms. Original urinals and toilet cubicles remain. The three-storey wing houses a lecture theatre (formerly a library), conference suites, and administrative offices, along with a square-plan cantilevered staircase and a smaller turnpike-style staircase. Features include hardwood doors, stair balustrades, handrails, and trims.