Project
The Bayes Centre
Construction
Education
Scotland
Client
The University of Edinburgh
Value
£27,200,000
Duration
89 weeks
Architect
Bennetts Associates
A new centre for ground-breaking academic research work.
The flagship Data Technology institute (DTI) building, now known as The Bayes Centre, a historic site with world heritage status, opened in autumn 2018. It was built to continue the ground-breaking academic research work that is carried out in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Some 600 experts across the university, including start-ups, spin-out companies and industrial collaborators make use of the building.
The Bayes Centre aims to develop and apply data science, drawing meaningful insights from vast amounts of information, for the benefit of society. It is one of five hubs which form part of the new Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.
The building shares a courtyard and walkways with the university’s Informatics Forum – home to some 500 computer scientists – and the Dugald Stewart Building, which houses Edinburgh’s language sciences experts.
The building has six floors of accommodation around an atrium. It has occupancy of around 600 to 700 people and a gross internal floor area of approximately 101,000ft2 (9,400m2).
The scope of works involved connecting the new building to the existing one. This included the removal, adjustment and reinstatement of external cladding and minor alterations within the existing building.
Finishing off an urban block, it sits alongside the existing buildings to frame a public courtyard, all of which are clad in a mix of natural stone and marble-aggregate polished concrete.
The building consists of a concrete frame with precast concrete and curtain walling façade system. The wormhole staircases enliven the atrium space and the flat roof consists of concrete slab with paving, a pitched glazed roof light and plant equipment hidden by louvres.
The building services solutions integrate with the existing buildings and contribute to a low energy building that is simple to operate and maintain.
Enhancing
Academic
Research
After the success of the first two phases of the university Potterrow development, the university required a final phase building which:
- Was of a high quality
- Reflected the stature and principles of the institution
- Improved visibility of the university to the city
- Facilitated the exchange of knowledge and fosters interaction
- Provided an appropriate level of functional performance
- Provided a comfortable internal environment for building users
- Was durable and cost efficient to maintain
- Was adaptable and suited to academic space but not too specific
The spaces specifically required for the building ranges from individual offices, open plan offices, shared support space, laboratories, seminar space and cafeteria space. The overall identity of the building is a lively, well connected, accessible and high-quality space. The university requested various rooms types to cater to everyone’s learning and working styles.
We look forward to bringing together experts from research and industry in this collaborative space, to apply data science and AI to some of society’s most interesting challenges and opportunities.
