What is The University of Edinburgh’s ‘New Darwin Hub’?

The University of Edinburgh is planning to demolish the current Darwin Tower at King’s and replace it with a new, state-of-the art bioscience hub.

Costs for the project have not been revealed, however estimates have placed it at £90 million.

The building is part of a wider £200 million transformation of the King’s site, and is expected to be completed in 2028.

The university intends for the new development to encompass ‘cutting-edge research laboratories’ to position Edinburgh as one of the world’s leading Bioscience institutions. The building will accommodate new teaching laboratories and learning spaces for postgraduate students, as well as collaboration areas and public engagement facilities.

One of the main motivators for the construction of the building was to create a space more congruous with other buildings in the vicinity, both in size and style.

The New Darwin Building will have its height reduced from the ten stories of Darwin Tower, and will instead be spread across a wider square footage to ensure all facilities are included. The design is hoped to bring a more contemporary facade to the King’s campus, which contains many buildings from the 1960s. This design is also hoped to reduce the physical footprint on the surrounding environment and neighbourhood.

In line with its ESG goals, the university expects the building to be ‘net-zero ready’ to fulfil their pledge to be net-zero by 2040. Also, there will be more accommodation for bicycles to encourage staff and students to take more environmentally friendly modes of transport.

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To limit the impact of constriction on students and the public, the university has a ‘mitigating construction impact’ strategy, which includes parking management systems and dedicated construction access. To further reduce the pollution created by the construction, the university has opted to ‘deconstruct’ the old Darwin Tower, where it will be taken apart rather than broken down.

When the building opens in 2028, it is hoped that the learning experience of Bioscience students will be improved.

Images via BMJ Architects