Aidan spotted this Guardian article on the Saltire Centre, our new learning centre/library at GCU. Yup, folks, this is where I work
There are a lot more photos of it on Flickr – the ones by BigRedBall are mine. This set by JISC InfoNet is particularly good.
It’s a university, but not as we know it:
The Guardian featured our new Saltire Centre in its recent Educational Supplement (published Tuesday the 19th of September). The review is a very positive one and highlights on how the building is changing the way in which students interact with each and how the building is a sign of things to come and is paving the way for other Universities employing such a forward thinking approach to student learning and learning environments.
The Saltire Centre, a futuristic but people-friendly learning space at Scotland’s fourth largest university, has a serious purpose. But its impact on visitors and users, from the talking lifts to the inflatable igloos, is anything but solemn. It lifts their spirits and makes them smile.
Read the full article here.
(Via Spoken Word Matters).


It’s a library Jim/Graeme but not as we know it… As much as the centre has to offer it is missing some key components usually found within the confines of university bookhouses- chiefly, overheated floors with no natural light and overhead beams which have the power to destroy cornieas and cause brain damage (breathes). My how the academics must be loathing it! :p
I think it’s a more pleasant environment than our library. However, it does feel rather ‘crowded’ because it’s trying to cater for such a wide range of studying styles. And I can’t work the blooming seats reserved for the booths on level 4!