"There are a few moving boxes left, but most people find their way to most things now. It's a really cool building and it makes me happy to explore it".
Are you like it?
"I would say so. We share the tip on floor 15 in the E building with the group for Sustainable Everyday Life and Health in a Life Perspective. We look out over the old water tower and the astronomers and a large part of northern Lund. I think the light does something for us. For the first time in a very long time, we have support functions that take care of us and the building. And then we have several new colleagues in the building that we appreciate. Slowly but surely, new research collaborations and synergies around teaching have begun to take shape. Most of our staff are teachers at the Audiology and/or Speech and Language Pathology program in Lund. The rest do research in our subjects.”
How has the shift been for you (and your colleagues)?
–Intense. We have left Region Skåne´s premises where we worked for many years, and moved into a new community with the other units that are housed in Hus E. On the whole, I am amazed at how well the move itself and everything around the building has worked, not least because of the team that has worked on this huge project. The support and patience shown by our various service functions is fantastic, as they must have been working under a lot of pressure for a long time. We are not used to getting so much help and being such an obvious part of the Faculty. The only thing that really should have been addressed by now is adaptation for staff and students with disabilities. It is in the works but should have been in place since the start.”
Open landscapes are new, how has that worked out?
"Better than expected. But right from the start, we were a workplace where employees have historically had a great deal of freedom to work from home when they prefer. There are not very many of us on site on any given day and we have a large area to share. Some appreciate the open work environment, some find it quiet and others go into the small rooms where you can be left alone when needed.”
What's the best thing about the move and the new place?
–The feeling of community! I feel that the building has become a hub not only for large parts of the Faculty of Medicine, but also for surrounding buildings and activities. Not least because of the fine restaurant and the café maintain a high standard. It's the first time that people want to come to us for meetings, and I get the same feeling as when I was saving up for a Playstation in eighth grade. Everyone wants to come to my house, unlike before.”
Did you expect it to work as well as it did?
"No, not at all. Well, everything has not worked as exactly as planned and it was quite amusing how an elevator worked one day then one day not in the beginning. Not to mention the spontaneous kick-off that the fire alarms were in the beginning. There was no need for paintball when we were out there together every now and then. But on the whole, I'm impressed by how well it has worked for so many employees to suddenly share premises. People are patient, nice and generous, and the project group around the E building has seemingly been working day and night for a very long time to ensure that it turned out exactly like this.”
Do you miss the olden days at HSC?
"Our previous premises left a lot to be desired, but I miss the proximity to the clinic and the interactions I have had over the years with Region Skåne. It's clearly better now, but we have actively invited clinicians, managers and others active in the region to come and visit, and sit with us, in case they are researching and have affiliations. This bond is important and we are a stone's throw away now, which requires a little more initiative in maintaining contact. I hope that the building can become a hub here as well, for the hospital and our colleagues from that business.
