Matthew Hay was both the Medical Officer for Health for Aberdeen and a professor at the University in the 1930's. He was instrumental in establishing both Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the Medical School at Foresterhill because he believed strongly in the benefits of having undergraduate learning and clinical practice together on one site.

The Matthew Hay Project takes forward his vision in the 21st Century by providing not only a joint training and learning facility but a building where students and health practitioners can meet both formally and informally to further strengthen the relationship between the NHS and University.

The underlying vision for the Matthew Hay Project is not only to promote clinical excellence but also to act as an inspirational environment for students and professionals. Spaces are therefore deliberately configured to help formal and informal interaction. There is a great opportunity to display contemporary and historic artefacts as a learning resource and an important link to the history of medicine and its particular resonance with Aberdeen.

The new building needs to be both functional and flexible enough to meet the continual changes and advances in health teaching. It will be a centre for telemedicine and video conferencing facilities will ensure outreach throughout Scotland and abroad.

The brief specified a high level of environmental sustainability and the assessment at present is on target to achieve a level of 'excellent' in a nationally recognised benchmarking scale. Elements of the building have therefore been computer modelled to predict future summer temperatures in rooms to ensure they do not overheat. This is important - even in the north of Scotland! Particularly with the knowledge that temperatures are set to rise because of global warming.

The site, in the north of the Foresterhill campus, is ideally placed for both institutions and offers an opportunity for a new external social space and a link to the adjacent walled garden at Foresterhill House. This will provide a quiet and leafy spot in a busy campus. Plant species are being sourced with their medicinal use in mind thereby relating the building function directly to its landscape setting.

The project team has visited several buildings throughout the United Kingdom to compare the Matthew Hay proposals with those elsewhere. Everyone concerned is excited and confident that the new building can provide Aberdeen with some of the best clinical skills and Anatomy facilities in the country. This is vitally important to both attract and retain the highest quality students and staff and thereby retain Aberdeen's long history of excellence in health education.

End of PR re Matthew Hay building from Bennetts Associates, 30 Aug 2006

Other current buildings planned for Aberdeen University:
Aberdeen Library
£56m

Aberdeen Regional Sports Facility
£28m




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Comments or building suggestions / photos for the Matthew Hay Aberdeen Building page welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk

Aberdeen Regional Sports Centre Architects : Reiach and Hall

Aberdeenshire House

Matthew Hay Project architects - Bennetts Associates