Edinburgh Innovation Hub opens its doors in milestone for research and industry
A flagship destination for business growth and innovation, designed our Civic’s Scotland’s structural and civil team, opens its doors
The Edinburgh Innovation Hub is a flagship development with the vision to give the next generation of food, drink, life science and tech businesses the space to grow and drive innovation. The Hub is the first of its kind to be constructed as part of the 52-acre Edinburgh Innovation Park.
Our team in Scotland designed the building for a joint venture between Queen Margaret University and East Lothian Council, working closely with Oberlanders Architects, Currie and Brown, Heron and WSP.
The project was funded by the Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland City region deal, and East Lothian Council, and is the first major building to be delivered within the Edinburgh Innovation Park masterplan.
The Hub stands as a key milestone in Scotland’s commitment to low-carbon innovation, sustainable construction and inclusive growth. Last month, it opened its doors and has now welcomed its first tenant. It’s great to see the finished project come to life.
Here’s a little more about the work we did:
Our structural engineering team in Scotland designed the space to be collaborative, by creating a central atrium, including a cafeteria, breakout spaces and meeting rooms, which are connected to two north-south ‘wings’, to room laboratories, office spaces for meetings, conferences and social events.
The building has been designed for long-term adaptability, enabling spaces to evolve as research and enterprise needs shift.
Our civil engineering and transport & movement team also developed strategies for the building on road and car parking and drainage design. Specifically, they looked at:
- A comprehensive drainage system for improved efficiency and supporting sustainability goals
- A detailed carpark layout to prioritise accessibility and efficient traffic flow
Isla Jackson, director and head of our Scotland & Ireland studio, said:
"The opening of the Edinburgh Innovation Hub marks a major milestone in the delivery of the wider Innovation Park masterplan. Working collaboratively across the project team, we adopted a system-thinking approach to deliver a nationally significant hub for innovation-led business growth. The result is a resilient, flexible and highlight accessible building that actively encourages partnership between academia and industry.
“The development will play an important role not only in advancing innovation across key sectors, but also in strengthening Edinburgh’s position as a destination for world-class talent and research. We’re incredibly proud to have been part of bringing this landmark project to life.”
A huge congratulations to everyone at Civic and across the wider project team involved in making this happen.
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