Brambell Laboratory, Bangor University

Built with all internal walls in smooth concrete blocks, internal change and redressing has been minimal, although lecture rooms have been refurbished. Museum in south corner is double floor height over the first and second levels with a balcony level with rough in situ concrete shelving, which continues around into the west corner student common room, which was originally the library. The slit windows to the museum are intact but boards have been placed in the way to prevent natural light damaging the exhibits. Main entrance is at base of the exterior stair tower which originally connected to the demolished old zoology building. The first second and third floors now therefore each have a ‘stairway to nowhere’, the end landings of which are used for storage. The main staircase beside this is lit by a single roof light and wraps around a hollow irregular octagon concrete core with nonorthogonal openings.

Built according to the Brutalist sensibility based on clear expression of structure and materials to create a memorable image, Brambell’s successor Professor PJ White said at its opening, “The external appearance of the building arouses very different emotions in different people. Certainly there is nothing anonymous or mealy-mouthed about its style.” Six storeys including the lower ground floor on Deiniol Road side, rectangular cuboid with flat roof and longer sides to northwest and southeast. Bush hammered reinforced concrete frame with precast concrete cladding with board marked finish to lower and upper floors, with recessed red brick core to first and second floors with chamfered corners, behind a colonnade of thin rectilinear columns connecting battered lower floors to inverted ziggurat of cantilevered upper levels. Steel framed glazing forming continuous ribbons around most of the upper storeys. At roof level a sunken inner quad allows continuous glazing to a circulation corridor linking upper storey offices, with a massive ‘T’ shaped pillar and crossbeam interposed into it.

Uniquely for the sciences campus the main entrance to the Brambell building is on its northwest side so that the building has its back turned to Deiniol Road. Entrance is into side of base of four storey stair tower (formerly connected to the demolished animal house) projecting from between two blind concrete towers, with three columns to left and five to right each with a middle spur connecting across to the second floorplate. Brick core blind to the left and heavily glazed to left with vertical glazed sections deep set in chamfers. Third floor horizontal windows between columns which terminate at the fourth floor with a ribbon window continuous around both corners, shaded by cantilevered roof.

Short northeast side is heavily glazed and symmetrical apart from its sloping base to accommodate lower ground floor. Massive central pillar which interrupts the top-level ribbon window, with two columns to either side, middle bays fully glazed to first and second floors. Battered lead cladding over ground floor rooms continues around to southeast side.

Taller Southeast elevation facing Deiniol Road has colonnade of twelve columns, the right six of which have mid-level return spurs. Continuous ribbon window to top floor, below this left seven bays behind columns recessed with continuous balcony, right four bays have clerestories. Fifth bay from left aligns with the front entrance and has deeply recessed large window at first floor level, with a projecting wedge above. The second through fourth bays from the left have deeply set vertical slit windows over the second and part of the first floor around the museum. Battered Lower ground floor with clerestory windows is partly buried at corners with rear service road dipping and rising sharply.

Short Southwest side has central stair tower fully glazed from ground to fourth floor with two columns to either side. Left bay is fully glazed at first and second floor levels (as on the northeast side), right bay has another slit window to the museum.