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

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

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

Design

The Forum is designed by

Bennetts Associates Bennetts Associates is a British firm of architects. It was founded in 1987 by Denise Bennetts and her partner Rab Bennetts, who had previously worked for Ove Arup & Partners. The total shareholding of Bennetts Associates was transferred to an E ...

with Reiach and Hall, architects, and Buro Happold, 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. According to the Association for Computing Machinery, ACM Europe Council and Informatics Europe, informatics is synonymous with computer science and computing as a profession, in which the centra ...

Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

Cognitive Science Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary, scientific study of the mind and its processes. It examines the nature, the tasks, and the functions of cognition (in a broad sense). Mental faculties of concern to cognitive scientists include percep ...

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

, 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 system ...

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