How the University of Aberdeen Uses Data for a More Vibrant Campus

In 1495, Bishop William Elphinstone and King James asked the Pope for money to build a university. 

531 years later, the person responsible for the building that Bishop Elphinstone built asks herself a single question: how do I make decisions today so this place is still standing in another 500 years?

That person is Morag Beers, Head of Estates and Facilities at the University of Aberdeen. The answer has a lot to do with data.

Last week, Morag joined HubStar’s Joe Harris for a virtual panel, fresh from swapping ideas with peers at the annual AUDE conference in Leeds. 

What followed was one of the more candid conversations you’ll hear from a senior estates leader about the financial pressures bearing down on UK higher education right now, and what it actually takes to stay ahead of them. Three things stood out.

1. There’s lots of data, but not enough is being done with it. 

Morag cited a 2025 PwC report that claimed 85% of UK universities don’t fully know what’s in their own estate. They have data, in the form of timetabling systems, booking logs, and HESA data, but it’s siloed and rarely aggregated into anything useful for a real estate decision.

Morag described it as a pile of LEGO bricks. You’ve got all the pieces, but nobody’s sorted them by colour yet, let alone built anything. 

So the problem here isn’t a data collection problem, because most universities are collecting more data than ever. Badge swipes, Wi-Fi signals, sensor data, and lecture room bookings tell part of the story. But until those sources are pulled into a single view, the picture is incomplete, and decisions are based on assumptions rather than reality.

That matters because the consequences of getting it wrong are expensive. Underutilised buildings still cost money to heat, clean and maintain. Extra space has a cost whether it’s occupied or not.

Getting the visibility right is the prerequisite for everything else.

2. Don’t start with all the data. Start with the viable minimum you’ll need.

Morag shared a valuable framing question that’s deceptively simple. Instead of asking “what data do I have?”, ask “what decision am I trying to make?”

That reframe stops estates teams from drowning in data and forces a more disciplined question: what is the least amount of information needed to make this specific call with confidence?

HubStar customer and previous panellist Radboud University applied this approach. Faced with a portfolio of twelve buildings and growing financial pressure, they used occupancy data to identify which buildings were genuinely being used and which were not. That analysis gave them the confidence to convert two underutilised buildings into student housing. 

This is how corporate real estate teams have been operating for years: the Operate, Assess, Acquire and Dispose cycle that AUDE has been encouraging the sector to adopt: 

Operate your existing estate.

Assess how it’s actually being used. 

Acquire assets that the institution will need long term.

Dispose of what no longer serves the institution. 

In practice, most universities skip the assess step, or do it so infrequently that the data is outdated by the time it reaches a decision-maker.

Analysing reams of data with limited capacity is overwhelming, so the best approach is to start with only the data you need to make the right call with certainty.

A platform like HubStar can help institutions assess whether they need all of their existing space by understanding the utilisation of all square footage by bringing all the data lego blocks like WiFi, sensors and booking to inform other decisions further down the cycle.

3. Focus on data analysis and the viable minimum to free up bandwidth for creativity.  

Universities are still part of the wider real estate market and part of the community. 

It’s easy to forget about this objective reality because of the insular way institutions function. Being an estates leader in higher ed is like managing hundreds of small businesses because every faculty member operates independently and has different objectives. 

It’s a lot like “corralling nebulous cats,” as Morag put it, and after ensuring all the assets in the portfolio are operationally functional, there’s limited bandwidth to get creative. 

But it’s critical to think up ideas for spaces that students, staff and the local community want to use. 

The challenge facing estates professionals in 2026 is striking the perfect balance between peak operational functionality and thinking outside the box for new and existing spaces, because continuing relevance depends on it. 

To get this balance right, you’ll need to take inspiration from non-academic institutions. 

Partnering with community-based and commercial organisations locally results in a more vibrant and connected campus. That creates a better experience for students and staff and goes a long way towards creating joy in campus spaces, a key theme of AUDE.

For example, Finland’s Tampere University, another HubStar customer and panellist, actually gave local organisations space on campus. These are the workplaces students will step into after they graduate.