It is a seven-storey tower, clad in zebra-like jagged stripes of white and clear glass.

[1] The Danish architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen architects were successful.

[8] The building was completed in September 2011 and was initially known simply as the Aberdeen University New Library.

[6][9] On 21 September 2012, the building's name was changed to honour Duncan Rice, who had been Principal of the university 1990–2006, during the time that the project was conceived and the funds were raised.

The building is clad in zebra-like jagged stripes of white and clear glass.

[12] Features that help it achieve this include a system to harvest rainwater to use for flushing toilets, photovoltaic cells on the roof and programmed timers to control the use of fluorescent lighting.

[20] In April 2014, the Mother Nature Network included it in a feature about the most beautiful libraries in the world.