University of Edinburgh unveils flagship engineering forum
The University of Edinburgh’s new Engineering Forum is now complete, creating a major new destination for learning, research and collaboration at the heart of the King’s Buildings campus.
Designed by BDP, the School of Engineering, a 6,500sq m building brings together teaching, research, innovation and social spaces within a highly flexible environment designed to support the next generation of engineers. The project forms a vital part of the University’s long-term vision for the campus and has now opened its doors to staff and students.
The Engineering Forum provides specialist laboratories, flexible teaching spaces, computer laboratories, conference facilities, a dedicated innovation space, academic workspaces and informal areas for students and researchers to connect throughout the day. Designed around collaboration and adaptability, the building supports world-class research in renewable energy, power systems and future electronics while creating a new focal point for the engineering community. Among its specialist facilities is the Wolfson Electrical Power Conversion Laboratory, which will support the development of sustainable energy technologies for offshore renewables and other low-carbon energy systems.
BDP was appointed in 2017 to help shape a long-term vision for the School of Engineering and its estate at the King’s Buildings campus. The Engineering Forum emerged from that work, bringing together teaching, research and collaboration spaces within a single, highly connected building designed around the needs of students, academics and industry partners.
“Engineering is about bringing people, ideas and technologies together to solve real-world challenges. This building has been designed around that principle from day one.
“Our own practice is built on technical knowledge and multidisciplinary working, and you can see that understanding in the laboratory environments, open social spaces and collaboration areas that come together to form the whole. Every part of the building is focused on supporting the people who will use it every day.
So, it’s rewarding to see students, researchers and academics now moving into the building. Working closely with the University and the wider project team, we have created a place that feels ambitious, welcoming and ready for the future.”
Located alongside the University’s existing engineering and research facilities, the building strengthens connections across disciplines while supporting hands-on learning and industry engagement. Its flexible layout allows teaching, research and student-led activity to sit alongside one another, creating opportunities for collaboration across the School and beyond.
From day-to-day teaching and student projects to pioneering research into future energy systems, the Engineering Forum has been designed to support the full breadth of engineering activity. By bringing people together in a single connected environment, it creates new opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange and discovery across one of the UK's leading engineering schools.