Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The white spiralling atrium of the Sir Duncan Rice Library, its curving balconies seen from above.
Aberdeen

The Sir Duncan Rice Library

The University of Aberdeen's glass library of 2012, a shimmering cube in Old Aberdeen with a spiralling atrium through its heart, open to the public.

Welcome

Among the old granite of Old Aberdeen, a tall cube of glass striped in white and green catches the light by day and glows at night.

The Sir Duncan Rice Library is the University of Aberdeen's main library, opened by the Queen in 2012. In 2013 it won an RIAS Award and a RIBA National Award.

From outside it is a crisp, clean-edged block, but step inside and the building opens into a great white atrium that spirals up through all its floors, its curving balconies like the inside of a shell. Light pours down from above, and from the upper floors there are wide views over the rooftops of Old Aberdeen to the sea.

The library holds more than a quarter of a million books, maps and manuscripts, among them the university's collection of rare books, and it is open to visitors as well as students, from early morning until ten at night.

Not farCruden Bay Golf ClubLinks golf through towering dunes above the bay at Cruden Bay, on the Aberdeenshire coast, with Slains Castle on the cliffs beyond.19 milesSee itCruden Bay Golf Club
Before you go

Open every day until 10pm: from 8am on weekdays, 9am on Saturday and 11am on Sunday.

Visitors are welcome.

Where
Bedford Road, Old Aberdeen, AB24 3AA.
Opened
2012.
Open
Daily, until 10pm.

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review
Where it is

On Bedford Road at the edge of Old Aberdeen, on the university campus, AB24 3AA.

Close byOld Aberdeen.
  1. Wrought-iron gates spelling "Cruickshank Botanic Garden" before a granite buildingCruickshank Botanic GardenThe university's garden.Under a mile 2 min by road
  2. Fat Batch on Elmbank Terrace on a sunny day: a pale green shopfront with a pig between the words of its name, set into a granite tenement.Fat BatchUnder a mile as the crow flies
  3. Granite building with glass gable extension and neon "Café" signShelter CaféA small, friendly cafe on the High Street of Old Aberdeen, with Caber coffee, iced lattes, cakes and light lunches, and tables outside.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. Stone tower house with conical roof, surrounded by trees on a grassy moundWallace TowerUnder a mile 2 min by road
  5. Stone church tower with roman numeral clock against a grey skyKing’s CollegeThe college of 1495 nearby.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. Twin turreted towers with crescent finials flank the gated entrance to Union Terrace Gardens, AberdeenThe Powis GatesThe minaret gates on the High Street.1 mile 4 min by road
Directions
Stone pillars line the nave towards the altar under a timber roofAttractionsSt Machar’s Cathedral0.6 miles
Granite building with a maroon-fronted café on a cobbled corner streetCafeKilau Coffee0.7 miles
Stepped gable and granite frontage of the St Machar BarRestaurantsSt Machar Bar0.8 miles
A loaded bagel with crispy onions on a blue plate at Bagel Society, with a bowl of fries behind.CafeBagel Society1.0 miles
Lahore Karahi's front at 145 King Street: a black sign with the name in red over three arched windows in a granite wall.RestaurantsLahore Karahi1.1 miles
Circular flowerbeds line a park path, a spire visible through the treesAttractionsSeaton Park1.1 miles
Twin turreted gatehouse towers with crescent moon weathervanes among treesAttractionsOld Aberdeen1.1 miles
Seal's head breaking the water's surface near a shorelineAttractionsSouth Donmouth Beach1.1 miles
The door of Tarragon at 137 Rosemount Place at night, framed by an arch of artificial flowers and fairy lights under the lit Tarragon sign.RestaurantsTarragon by Graham Mitchell1.2 miles

Recommend to a friend

The Daily for 25 October, from Scotland with love. bare tree stumps standing in an autumn loch, forested hills reflected in the still water

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .