James Weir Building

The James Weir Building is named after a graduate and founder of the Weir Pumps.[3] It was built in two stages in 1957-58 and in 1961-64, this is made obvious by the different coloured bricks at the join of the two buildings. A third extension took place in 1976 when the Thermodynamics laboratories were extended - this structure adjoined onto the rear of the Student's Union which gained an extra five levels.

Although it is where some of the university's engineering departments are based, it is probably more recognisable from the Scottish crime dramas Taggart and Sea of Souls produced by STV and BBC Scotland, respectively.[4]

At 7:16pm on Tuesday 7 February 2012 a fire broke out in the James Weir building of Strathclyde University, and is believed to have started on the third floor of the building.[5] All of the buildings neighbouring the James Weir building were evacuated including the Strathclyde University’s Student Union where almost 150 students were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Montrose Street was closed to all traffic between Cathedral Street and George Street. It took four fire engines and eight pumps to calm the blaze.[6] The fire took place in the chemical engineering department and was complicated by the presence of hazardous materials. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service were able to extinguish the fire by 23:40 and it was reported that no one was injured.[7]

The James Weir building was built in 1957-64 and was originally a NE extension to the Royal College Building, which allowed the expanded Royal College to attain the royal charter and become the University of Strathclyde.[11][12] The building was originally named The Mechanical Engineering Building as an extension to the Royal College Building, but later renamed to the James Weir Building after one of the founders of G. & J. Weir Ltd, later known as the Weir Group.[13] In the BBC Scotland drama Sea of Souls, the James Weir Building was used to shoot the fictitious "Murray Thompson Building" and was used extensively throughout the program.

To build the extension (now known as the James Weir Building) to the Royal Technical College, significant amounts of funding had to be raised. The college (before it became known as the University of Strathclyde) sent out documents that a beneficiary could sign, in the process stating how much funding they would put forward to the project. The extension was needed to lessen the strain on the college as it was becoming increasingly overcrowded due to an influx of students, 3800 students attending before World War II increased to 6000 after the war.

The building was planned to contain engineering laboratories in the basement and ground floor, with lecture rooms, other laboratories and administrative offices on the floor above. The Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department was moved from the college to the extension, this helped free up space in the main college building, although the Civil Engineering discipline later moved into the new Colville Building in 1967.

The original estimated cost of the complete building was £750,000. Governors wished to proceed quickly with the first stage of development which was estimated to cost £445,000, towards which Government grants amounting to £334,000 had already been advised. The Governors of the college would have to raise £350,000 on their own initiative to complete, equip the building and to provide a moderate endowment for research. The Governors launched their appeal to their public and private supporters.[14] The response to the appeal for funding rose just over £360,000.[15] The building was constructed in two distinct phases; the southern two thirds of the structure opened in 1958; the remaining third was constructed in the early 1960s in tandem with the adjacent Thomas Graham (Chemistry) building in 1962 - the join between the two sections of the structure is still highly visible over 50 years later.

A further extension in 1976 was built, which extended the thermodynamics laboratory, onto which an extension block to the Students' Union Building was also added. Redevelopment plans have been proposed which would convert the laboratory into a walkthrough atrium which would open a direct pedestrian route between Montrose Street and John Street (on old maps of Glasgow this was in fact a continuation of Martha Street) - a link that was severed when the building was constructed in the late 1950s.

In 2000, the lecture floor on Level 4 received a comprehensive redevelopment which saw the first of the University's Interactive Teaching Clusters built. All lecture rooms were completely rebuilt with new lighting and modern projection equipment. Between 2004 and the present, the James Weir Building has had a recent major refurbishment (worth over a million pounds) on levels 1 and 2.[17] Six of the ground floor laboratories were redeveloped, with the removal of obsolete machinery and equipment allowing extra mezzanine space to be constructed within. At the same time the building was upgraded to modern fire regulations, with additional fire doors installed in corridors and staircases.

The top priority for the Faculty of Engineering is to accommodate Civil Engineering and Architecture in the James Weir Building, thus allowing the Colville and Architecture Buildings be redeveloped into a central teaching hub - this project took place over much of 2019 with completion due for 2020.

However the James Weir Building will not always be the centre of Engineering, as "“The new technology and innovation centre and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Quarter in the west of the campus are interdependent and is anticipated that staff from some areas of Engineering and Physical Sciences will move into the new centre."[18]

• Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
• University of Strathclyde Glasgow Website
• University of Strathclyde Campus Map - James Weir Building