The University of Edinburgh has officially opened a major new state-of-the-art engineering facility that it says will transform education, research and industry collaboration. The Engineering Forum will support experiential learning and research in fields such as renewable energy systems and future electronics.
Located at the King’s Buildings campus in the south of the city, the facility will bring together leading academics, students and sector partners in a purpose-built environment for the university’s School of Engineering.
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Designed by architects Building Design Partnership and constructed by McLaughlin & Harvey, the building has been created to prioritise collaboration, sustainability and flexibility in a future-focused centre.
The building incorporates advanced technical spaces, including high-specification laboratories, alongside innovation hubs and shared collaboration areas designed to foster interdisciplinary working.The building offers new spaces for students to take part in hands-on teaching and learning, including a teaching studio, innovation lab and dedicated student support facilities.
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Each of four teaching rooms is named for an influential woman engineer, including Maria Watkins, the first woman to study electrical engineering at Edinburgh and former president of the Women’s Engineering Society. The Power Teaching Lab, a specialist teaching facility providing hands-on experience in power systems and electronics, will also relocate to the new building.
The Institute for Energy Systems – a multidisciplinary research institute that brings together academics, research staff and postgraduate students from across the School of Engineering – has expanded its facilities within the building, adding new laboratories and workspaces to support its pioneering work in low-carbon energy systems, technology and policy.
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A £2million grant from the Wolfson Foundation will create a new laboratory within the institute. Equipped with pioneering research equipment to support the development of sustainable energy technologies in offshore renewables, the Wolfson Electrical Power Conversion Lab is set to open this summer.
‘The Engineering Forum provides an outstanding environment for both teaching and research,’ said Professor Guangzhao Mao, head of the School of Engineering. ‘Designed to support innovative approaches to integrated learning and discovery, it equips students with the skills and experience required to shape the future of engineering and technology. As a focal point for engineering excellence, it reinforces the university’s standing as a global leader in research and innovation, while enhancing the student experience and contributing to Scotland’s reputation as a centre for technological advancement.’
Plans to create the impressive building have been developed over a ten-year period, with construction beginning in 2023. The Engineering Forum represents a long-term commitment by the university to enrich students’ experience on campus, extend research capability and drive growth through innovation.
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It forms another key element of a wider physical transformation of the King’s Buildings campus, which also included the opening of the Nucleus Building in 2022 as a shared learning, teaching and social hub for College of Science and Engineering staff and students.