Andrew Melville Hall is a student
hall of residence
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
of the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
located in
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
, Fife, Scotland. It was built in 1967 in the
brutalist
Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
style, and it accommodates approximately 275 students.
History
Designed in the New
Brutalist
Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
style by the renowned architect
James Stirling, Andrew Melville Hall was built during a major expansion of the University in the 1960s using
prefabricated
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located. The term is u ...
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
modules. Errors in construction meant that extensive remedial work was required over several decades. Plans for further buildings to the same design were abandoned.
It was named after
Andrew Melville
Andrew Melville (1 August 1545 – 1622) was a Scottish scholar, theologian, poet and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European continent to study at Glasgow and St. Andrews.
He was born at Baldovie, on 1 August 154 ...
, a 16th-century Scottish scholar,
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and religious reformer who was a graduate of the University, and who later became its rector and dean of theology.
It is of a striking design and is situated prominently at the North Haugh on a ridge overlooking the
St Andrews Links
St Andrews Links in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, is regarded as the "Home of Golf.” It has one of the oldest courses in the world, where the game has been played since the 15th century. Today there are seven public golf courses; the ...
. The hall resembles passing ships, a common theme of the architect's style.
It has become an important architectural landmark: It was included in
DoCoMoMo
Docomomo International (sometimes written as DoCoMoMo or simply Docomomo) is a non-profit organization whose full title is: International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement. ...
's 1993 list of
Key Scottish Monuments and was ranked number 12 in the
top 100 Scottish buildings of the last 50 years. The building was
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
Category A in 2011.
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader ...
, a former
First Minister of Scotland
The first minister of Scotland ( sco, heid meinister o Scotland; gd, prìomh mhinistear na h-Alba ) is the head of the Scottish Government and keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The first minister chairs ...
, stated in a speech that he had lived at Andrew Melville Hall when a student at St Andrews.
Facilities
During the academic year
students
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...
live in Melville, with the vast majority of these in single rooms. Every room looks out over surrounding parkland, inhabited by a large number of wild
rabbits
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit specie ...
. The hall is divided into five blocks, designated A, B, C, D and E. Generally A, C and E blocks are mixed, with B block being all male and D block all female although in recent years A block has been all male in addition to B block.
Each block is divided up into a number of
floors
A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the expected load ...
accessed through a central
stairwell from the ground floor
concourse
A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space.
The term is not limited to places where there are literally pathways or roadways or t ...
. Typically each floor consists of sixteen study-bedrooms arranged in two groups of eight on either side of the stairwell, a number of showers/bathrooms and a pantry. The buildings' striking geometry is reflected in the irregular octagonal shape of the bedrooms. Blocks A, D and E have
glass
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...
enclosures similar in shape to a garden
greenhouse
A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...
atop them to provide natural light to their stairwells; this has led to the top floor of block A being called "the greenhouse".
The hall itself has three common rooms in the central block, as well as a library and study room off the main concourse in E block and similarly a computer and study room at the end of A block. It is a catered residence, with three meals a day being served other than on Saturday and Sunday, when students can prepare food for themselves in the three communal kitchens which are situated on the main concourse.
While the main access to the hall is from the North Haugh, the central block's staircase leads to a path to
David Russell Apartments
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, the nearby Sports Centre and playing fields. In the summer vacation the residence is open for use by conferences and block bookings.
Like all residences in the University of St Andrews, it has a number of staff and students that contribute to its running. Various groups contribute to the operation and maintenance of the hall. A warden's team is responsible for student welfare, discipline, and has oversight for community development. A student committee elected by the residents, headed by the senior student, is responsible for student matters. A residence management team is responsible for the day-to-day running of the residence, including catering, house services, and maintenance.
In film
Andrew Melville Hall was used for location shooting of the
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of
Kazuo Ishiguro
Sir Kazuo Ishiguro ( ; born 8 November 1954) is a British novelist, screenwriter, musician, and short-story writer. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and moved to Britain in 1960 with his parents when he was five.
He is one of the most cr ...
’s novel, ''
Never Let Me Go'' starring
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...
.
Sources
*
Kenneth Frampton
Kenneth Brian Frampton (born 20 November 1930) is a British architect, critic and historian. He is the Ware Professor of Architecture at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University, New York. He has be ...
, ''Andrew Melville Hall'',
Architectural Design
Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complic ...
Magazine, Sept. 1970
''Andrew Melville Halls of Residence'' Adrian Welch / Isabelle Lomholt, www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk.
The Architecture Week Great Buildings Collection.
External links
''Andrew Melville Hall'' University of St Andrews Guide to Residences.
''Simon Henley’s Inspiration: James Stirling’s Andrew Melville Hall'' Building Design, January 2009
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
University of St Andrews halls of residence
Category A listed buildings in Fife
Brutalist architecture in Scotland
1967 establishments in Scotland
Residential buildings completed in 1967