The Informatics Forum is a major building on the Central Area campus of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. Completed in 2008, it houses the research institutes of the university's School of Informatics.

Design

The Forum is designed by

Bennetts Associates Bennetts is a specialist insurance broker for motorcycles headquartered in Peterborough, with a contact centre in Coventry, England, owned by Saga plc. On 17 February 2020 it was announced that The Ardonagh Group had agreed to purchase Bennet ...

with Reiach and Hall, architects, and

Buro Happold Buro Happold (previously ''BuroHappold Engineering'') is a British professional services firm that provides engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management, and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure, and the environment ...

, engineers. The architects' brief was to provide a "forum for interaction" that will foster synergies among the 500 researchers in

Informatics Informatics is the study of computational systems, especially those for data storage and retrieval. According to ACM ''Europe and'' ''Informatics Europe'', informatics is synonymous with computer science and computing as a profession, in which ...

Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

, Cognitive Science,

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

, and

Systems Biology Systems biology is the computational modeling, computational and mathematical analysis and modeling of complex biological systems. It is a biology-based interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on complex interactions within biological syst ...

, who have been brought together, under one roof, by this development. The building was the first in Scotland to achieve a

BREEAM BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), first published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, is the world's longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of ...

rating of "excellent", and was constructed by

Balfour Beatty Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, Balfour Beatty works ac ...

History

One of the major recommendations of the 1997 international review that led to the formation of

as an academic grouping at Edinburgh, was that the university should provide a building for the collocation of Informatics. An options appraisal recommended that the university should plan for the collocation of Informatics in a new construction within the university's George Square Campus, using the long-vacant Crichton Street site. In 2002, the university embarked on a fund-raising campaign. This was followed closely by the

Edinburgh Cowgate Fire The Cowgate ( Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, which lies below the eleva ...

of December 2002, which destroyed a number of buildings, including some of the school's accommodation at 80 South Bridge. The school took over four floors of the Appleton Tower as emergency accommodation. In the following years, plans for the school's accommodation were revised to include six floors of the Appleton Tower, and a new building on the Crichton Street Site. In all, £42M was raised from public and philanthropic sources. Planning approval was confirmed on 12 September 2005, and work on site commenced in October 2005. The Informatics Forum was opened by then

First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...

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 ...

in September 2008. The Forum is the first phase of the ''Potterrow Project'', the redevelopment of a site, bordered by Potterrow, Crichton Street, Charles Street and Marshall Street, that was cleared for redevelopment by the university in 1963, and has been used as a car park ever since. The Potterrow Project is itself part of a more extensive masterplan, that will see the Potterrow underpass removed and the campus extended to link Old College to George Square.

Awards

The Informatics Forum, as part of the wider Potterrow development, was joint winner of the

RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award All types of architectural projects in Scotland are eligible, including new-build, regeneration, restoration, extensions and interiors. List of winners and nominees 2022 Shortlist * Forth Valley College – Falkirk Campus, Falkirk by Reiach ...

in 2008.

Photographs

File:Informatics Forum - geograph.org.uk - 929220.jpg File:Informatics Forum - geograph.org.uk - 990363.jpg File:Entrance to Informatics Forum, Edinburgh University - geograph.org.uk - 1303917.jpg File:Entrance to Informatics Forum, Edinburgh University - geograph.org.uk - 1303391.jpg File:School of Informatics, Edinburgh University - geograph.org.uk - 754152.jpg

References

External links

Informatics Forum ConstructionDetailed plans of all the 7 floorsGeorge Square 1876-1976George Square MasterPlan (.kmz)
{{Buildings and Structures in Edinburgh Buildings and structures of the University of Edinburgh University of Edinburgh School of Informatics