The redevelopment of the category-A listed former hospital into the state-of-the-art Edinburgh Futures Institute has been recognised in the Prix Versailles’ World’s Most Beautiful Campuses List alongside five other recently-opened or renovated buildings across the world.
The listing has been unveiled by the internationally recognised series of awards and listings presented by UNESCO – a United Nations agency for education, sciences, and culture – to celebrate the best contemporary architecture and design projects across the world.
Following this listing, the University of Edinburgh will compete for three 2024 World Titles – Prix Versailles, Interior and Exterior – whose laureates will be announced at UNESCO Headquarters in December 2024.
“It is a tremendous honour to have the Edinburgh Futures Institute recognised by Prix Versailles in this way. The care that has been taken to sympathetically restore the magnificent former hospital, coupled with the work to make it fit for generations of interdisciplinary teaching and research, makes it a project unlike any other that the University has previously undertaken. This is a building not just for our students and staff, but for the city and I am incredibly proud to live up to the inscription etched onto its wall: ‘Patet Omnibus’ meaning ‘Open to All’.”
– Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh
Iconic landmark
Stretching from Middle Meadow Walk to Nightingale Way, the Edinburgh Futures Institute building has been a part of Edinburgh’s cityscape since the late 19th Century.
Formerly housing the city’s main hospital, the much-loved landmark occupies a pivotal position in Edinburgh’s inner city with thousands of Edinburgh’s residents having visited, been a patient or worked there before it was decommissioned in 2003.
The building officially reopened in June 2024, following a seven-year, multi-million-pound restoration.
Extensive project
Working with a project design team led by Atkins Realis, including architects Bennetts Associates and construction partner Balfour Beatty, the University carried out an extensive project to restore, extend, and upgrade the building.
Now home to the University of Edinburgh’s Edinburgh Futures Institute, the 20,000 sqm redevelopment is one of the largest institutes for interdisciplinary learning, research and innovation in Europe.
The revitalised design has also transformed the local area, creating new public spaces, a café restaurant, exhibition and performance spaces.
Since opening, the building has held a range of events for members of the public and University of Edinburgh community, including hosting the annual Edinburgh International Book Festival in August.
“Everyone at Bennetts Associates is honoured and excited to see the Edinburgh Futures Institute recognised on the global stage. This project has been immensely rewarding, not just for our practice, but for the University and beyond as part of the fabric of the city of Edinburgh. The design has redefined how people engage with the spaces, seamlessly interweaving the historic building with modern insertions and setting a new standard for the re-use of existing buildings.”
– Rab Bennetts, Founder, Bennetts Associates
“These places that serve to educate people, places where knowledge is shared and learnt, are crucial to the development of a sustainable society where sensitivity and intelligence go hand in hand. Beauty in the form of architectural excellence on campuses helps to spur the learning process. It contributes to the well-being of students and instructors alike, and represents an undeniable mark of trust and an invitation to shine.”
– Jérôme Gouadain, Secretary General of the Prix Versailles
All image credits: Hufton+Crow and Bennetts Associates
