Sights of UoN: Jubilee Campus

Note: High resolution images of some of the following photos are available. These photos are marked with [HiRes] tags in their captions. Click on the photos to view their higher resolution images.

Last time, we've seen some rather noisy and heavily edited photos of the night views at Jubilee Campus, one of the few UK campuses of University of Nottingham.

Recycled photo, taken from the (ROT13) FYE post.

Today, we're visiting the Jubilee Campus again -- in broad daylight. With sufficient light, the scenes do not put too much strain on the cameras and they get to perform at their best, eliminating the need to digitally enhance (enhance, yeah right) the pictures. Most of the pictures here are produced as honestly as possible, with little more than resizing and watermarking done in the photo editor.

[HiRes] Except this photo, and a couple more. See Behind the Owl's Eyes for more information. This banner can be found throughout Jubilee and University Park Campuses.

Perhaps the most eye-catching structure in Jubilee Campus is the Aspire. At night, it is illuminated with yellow lights, its glowing steel skeleton standing out from the dark skies.

During the day, it is equally intimidating, its tip reaching for the heavens.

[HiRes] The Aspire and the 'Lego Buildings' silhouetted.

Day or night, it always strikes me as a large Olympic Torch. Perhaps they'll decorate it further for the London 2012 games?

Coming down the rank, we'll find the Sails. That's in need of a more official name -- I have no idea what they're actually called. The Sails are some weird devices on top of certain buildings in the Jubilee Campus. Their direction can be altered by gusts of stronger winds.

[HiRes] The Aspire and the Sail.

I think there are about 8 sails in total. I never actually counted them.

[HiRes] 4 Sails in line, flanking the Atrium (the glass section in the middle). A photo produced by a very dusty SLR camera -- there's a little curved line (fabric?) to the left of the second Sail from the right.

[HiRes] The Exchange Building and its Sail.

Most people will also show interest towards the library. As mentioned before, the library floor is a single spiral going upwards, and it looks like a cone-screw half pushed into the lake.

[HiRes] The cone-screw reflected on the lake surface.

[HiRes] Close-up. That's really some modern architecture.

That, and its extravagant name.

[HiRes] Entrance to the Jubilee Library, yelling its 'proper' name -- The Sir Harry and Lady Djanogly Learning Resource Centre.

Among the other less well-known buildings, my favourite are the two 'Lego Buildings'.

[HiRes] The 'Lego Buildings', sunset.

One is the International Office (the taller one), while the other is officially named the Amneties Building.

Located right next to the Aspire, they form a small cluster of bright red structures near the middle of the campus.

[HiRes] The Reds reflected on the lake.

I have no idea why I like them so much. Maybe because the Chinese traditionally like red. Or maybe because of my interest in Lego. Maybe they look a little like the Malaysian layer cake cut into triangular pieces. Or perhaps their very bricky appearance gave me an impression that they can be dismantled and rebuilt quickly to a very different appearance. I don't know.

[HiRes] The sharp-prism-shaped International Office. Maybe it'd make a penta-prism for a huge SLR if it were made purely of glass?

One thing's for sure. These two buildings are pure geometrical fun. They look so different from different angles. I just can't get enough of their photos.

[HiRes] Wide-angle lens exaggerated the architecture of the building.

I initially thought they were identical twins, like the Petronas Twin Towers and Singapore Esplanade, to name a few, but they turned out cooler when I realised they weren't.

Maybe they were, but the builders dismantled them into huge Lego pieces and quickly reconstructed them overnight.

[HiRes] Closer look of the 'Lego Buildings', showing their obvious difference in shape.

Simply astounding.

But wait, there's still more.

The silver building is the Sir Colin Campbell Building. I call it the Dumbbell. No pun intended -- I gave it its nickname far before I knew its proper label.

[HiRes] Sir Colin Campbell Building, AKA the Dumbbell.

There's this newly built Nottingham Geospatial Building.

[HiRes] The Nottingham Geospatial Building, just opened a few weeks back, I think.

Nottingham University Business School (NUBS) South Building. Yes, I know I've given nicknames to the Legos, Dumbbell and the Sails, but NUBS is officially named NUBS.