Construction of a new £50m research building in the capital has been completed. The facilities are due to open to the public in Spring 2025.
The design studio Hassell has announced that the University of Edinburgh's new Usher Building is complete. The project began in 2018 and was funded through the £1.4bn Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, with £48.5m coming from the UK Government and £700,000 from the Scottish Government.
Additional funding was provided by the Wolfson Foundation, an independent charity that focuses on research and education.
The building, built by McLaughlin & Harvey, will house Edinburgh University's Usher Institute at the city's BioQuarter, a healthcare and research campus that includes the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Medical School.
The Usher Institute specialises in data and population-based healthcare and medical research.
The Institute has recently made significant contributions to national policy, including the EAVE II project, which led research tracking Covid-19 statistics and the effectiveness of vaccines across Scotland.
Once opened, the new Usher building will house 900 students, researchers, healthcare providers and industry partners. A university spokesperson said the official opening will take place in Spring 2025.
The building has two public entries and will be directly connected to the Royal Infirmary. On the ground floor, a 170-person event hall will be available for public events, conferences, teaching, and community engagement projects.
The original Usher Institute building in the city centre, completed in 1902, was gifted to the University with an endowment from Sir John Usher, Baronet of Norton and Wells.
That endowment coincided with the creation of the first Chair of Public Health in the United Kingdom, funded by Sir Usher and Andrew Low Bruce, to lead an evidence-based approach to improving public health in the region.
A spokesperson for Hassell said that researchers and healthcare professionals were consulted during the design phase to ensure the facilities were built for purpose and with staff and student mental health in mind.
The world-class research, workplace, and post-graduate teaching hub will accelerate collaboration and innovation within population health sciences. It will serve the Usher Institute's academic research centres through state-of-the-art facilities and strengthen collaboration with its public, private, and third-sector partners.
"Building on existing expertise and interdisciplinary research, the four-storey building will accelerate new public, private and third-sector partnerships to discover, develop and deploy data-driven solutions to address today’s most pressing health and social care issues."
Hassell also reported that 40% of local labour was within 20 miles of the site, and 56% of the project's spending was within 20 miles. Since work began in 2018, the project has supported 78 apprentices for a total of 2,403 weeks.
Steve Irvine, Operations Director at McLaughlin & Harvey, said that community impact was core to the project.
"The contribution of our project team extended beyond the design and build to optimise the utilisation of local labour and support community organisations throughout project delivery."
Will Hartzog, Senior Associate at Hassell, said the building's design reflected the Institute's mission of accessible, personal research.
"Working closely with experts from diverse fields, including the invaluable insights of the Usher Institute staff, we’ve created something that truly serves its people. Every corner, from informal gathering spots to dedicated meeting rooms, invites connection and sparks collaboration.
"It’s a space that breaks down the usual barriers, giving way to a research community that feels more connected, engaged, and accessible to all.”
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