Glasgow architects BMJ have put forward the plans and have released concept images of what the new building would look like. 

Tentatively named ‘New Darwin’, the proposed new building will replace the existing Darwin Tower at the University’s King’s Buildings Campus for the School of Biological Sciences.

The development will deliver a building of a reduced height and more appropriate scale, akin to the adjacent buildings and landscape, offering significant visual and environmental improvement to the campus, city, and surrounding areas.  

BMJ Architects’ design will create both a new “front door” and focal point for the school, and with physical linkages to the existing buildings, will transform this corner of the campus into a modern bioscience hub. This will foster a collaborative environment that will align with the University’s vision for interdisciplinary biology and support the translation of ground-breaking discoveries and 21st-century solutions to address global challenges. 

Central to the New Darwin building is a series of cutting-edge research laboratories, supported by an innovation environment encompassing incubator space, collaborative workspaces, and public engagement facilities, all working in harmony to support the diverse and evolving needs of the biological sciences community. The building will provide state-of-the-art postgraduate teaching laboratories and learning spaces, embedding research-led learning amongst world-class bioscience to equip graduates with interdisciplinary knowledge and industry-ready skills. 

The overall design embodies a natural contemporary feel throughout, from the earth tones in the façade to the natural materials and daylighting in the interiors, to provide a sustainable, collaborative and welcoming environment that supports health & wellbeing, and fosters community and interaction. 

Professor Thorunn Helgason, head of school, said: “It has been exciting to work with BMJ Architects to co-create this inspirational space. Designed to bring together diverse communities, it will foster the formal and informal connections that lead to the ground-breaking interdisciplinary research and teaching for which the School of Biological Sciences is celebrated.” 

Sustainability and biodiversity have been embedded within the design process from inception, to reflect both the University of Edinburgh’s and BMJ Architects’ commitment to deliver a sustainable design that is innovative and collaborative in reducing whole-life carbon emissions. 

Designed to meet the LETI and CIBSE agreed ‘Net Zero in Progress’ definition, and in accordance with the Scottish Futures Trust NZPSB Standard, the New Darwin building will be an exemplar in establishing a benchmark for future campus development in respect of achieving the University’s Climate Strategy goal to become a Net Zero Carbon university by 2040. 

In addition to University funding, the project is supported by external funders including the UKRI Research Partnership Investment Fund (RPIF), The Darwin Trust of Edinburgh and the Garfield Weston Foundation.