Staff Move into the AAU SUND Building

By Lilla Bogø Rasmussen, Student Assistant, AAU Communication. Photos: Lars Horn. Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication 

The big day for the Faculty of Medicine at Aalborg University took place under blue skies when 300 staff members were able to move into the new AAU SUND building at Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249 in Gistrup on 10 January.

Faculty of Medicine staff have been working from home since November. The joy of reuniting in person was palpable, and hugs and wishes for a Happy New Year were warmly shared. There was a buzz of life, anticipation and enthusiasm when Dean Lars Hvilsted Rasmussen delivered his welcome remarks:

- It's a distinct pleasure for me to be able to stand in front of you today and welcome you all to your new spectacular workplace. As you see, the hum of activity is all around us.

The dean concluded his remarks by cutting the red ribbon and officially inaugurating the stunning building to great applause. Staff members then enjoyed a communal breakfast so that the move did not have to take place on an empty stomach.

- Yes, this is the second Christmas Eve in 14 days, I almost said. We have been at it since 2014 when the idea was first conceived. The best thing that could happen to the Faculty of Medicine is to move in with the University Hospital, said Kim Dremstrup, Head of the Department of Health Science and Technology.

Several people see great potential in the connection between the AAU SUND building and the New Aalborg University Hospital (NAU):

- That the Faculty of Medicine should co-locate with NAU and that we can exchange experiences but also get new ideas for new projects is the whole basic idea of this, said Christina Brock, Professor in the Department of Clinical Medicine.

- We're together – it's very important to us. It offers completely different opportunities for the research groups to interact. It provides new collaboration opportunities and new platforms, said Susanne Lundis, Strategic Advisor and Team Leader at the Department of Health Science and Technology.

Student move-in is just around the corner

Construction is fully ongoing, and right now the building's study environments are being set up to be ready for 1,500 students to move into the building on 1 February. The students' upcoming move-in is one of the things Professor Christina Brock is particularly looking forward to:

- I think that's actually the central nerve, because research, which this building is supposed to represent, is very much about the transmission of knowledge. And about new brains – new budding researchers, doctors and engineers – finding solutions together. So I think the students are actually the source of inspiration for all of us, she explained.

However, the medical students in the Master's degree programme and the vast majority of staff at the Department of Clinical Medicine will not move into the new building until 2026, as the construction of the New Aalborg University Hospital, which the department works closely with, has been delayed.