Boyd Orr Building

Has anyone ever noticed how the Boyd Orr Building almost seems to sway on a gusty Glasgow day? The Boyd Orr Building, this concrete giant on University Avenue, isn’t just a building. It’s a testament to a man, a vision, and a time of immense change at the University of Glasgow. Opened in 1972, the Boyd Orr Building was designed as a science overflow building. The university anticipated a surge in students, a 50% increase as the 1970s approached. The smaller departmental buildings couldn’t cope. The Boyd Orr Building, with its eleven floors and large ground-floor lecture theatres, was the solution. Its brutalist design, a stark contrast to the elegant 19th-century architecture surrounding it, reflects the utilitarian needs of the time. It needed to be big, functional, and built quickly. It cost £1.25 million in 1972. That’s about £21 million today. Compare that to the £90 million James McCune Smith Learning Hub built next door in 2021, or the £50 million Clarice Pears Building in 2023. The Boyd Orr Building has remained remarkably unchanged since its opening, apart from some cladding, lecture theatre refurbishments in 2009, and persistent roof repairs. Oh, and that almost imperceptible sway on windy days. The building takes its name from John Boyd Orr, Baron Boyd Orr of Brechin Mearns, a remarkable man with deep ties to Glasgow. Orr was a student, Rector, and then Chancellor of the University of Glasgow for almost 25 years. He was a true Renaissance man. He served as a military doctor in WWI, earning a Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order. He was a pioneer in nutrition, his research driven by witnessing poverty in Glasgow’s slums. His landmark 1936 report exposed the stark reality that half the British population couldn’t afford a basic nutritious diet. He championed the idea that proper nutrition could bridge social and economic divides. He even advised Churchill on food policy during WWII. In 1949, he received the Nobel Peace Prize, donating the entire sum to organizations promoting world peace. He believed in building a better world “from the bottom upwards,” starting with basic necessities. He saw a world free from hunger and want, believing these to be fundamental causes of war. John Boyd Orr died in 1971, just a year before the building that bears his name was opened. The Boyd Orr Building stands as a physical embodiment of his legacy. So, next time you pass by, and you feel that slight tremor in the wind, remember John Boyd Orr, the man who dedicated his life to a better, more nourished world.