Informatics Forum

The Forum is designed by Bennetts Associates{{cite web |title=The Potterrow Development, University of Edinburgh |url=https://www.rias.org.uk/for-the-public/practices/bennetts-associates-edinburgh/the-potterrow-development-university-of-edinburgh-edinburgh |website=www.rias.org.uk |access-date=30 March 2021}} 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: Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, and Systems Biology, 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",{{cite web |last1=Carlton |first1=Rachel |title=Informatics Forum by Bennetts Associates |url=https://www.onofficemagazine.com/architecture/informatics-forum-by-bennetts-associates |website=Workplace {{!}} Design {{!}} Architecture |access-date=30 March 2021 |language=en-CA |date=15 September 2009}} and was constructed by Balfour Beatty.{{cite web |title=First Minister Opens Informatics Forum |url=https://www.buildscotland.co.uk/construction-news/81782/first-minister-opens-informatics-forum |website=www.buildscotland.co.uk |access-date=30 March 2021 |language=en}}

One of the major recommendations of the 1997 international review that led to the formation of Informatics as an academic grouping at Edinburgh, was that the university should provide a building for the collocation of Informatics.{{cite web |title=History of Informatics Forum |url=https://www.ed.ac.uk/informatics/about/explore-school-informatics/history-of-informatics-forum |website=The University of Edinburgh |access-date=30 March 2021 |language=en}} 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,{{cite web |last1=Seenan |first1=Gerard |title=Fire devastates Edinburgh's Old Town |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/dec/09/gerardseenan |website=the Guardian |access-date=30 March 2021 |language=en |date=9 December 2002}} which destroyed a number of buildings, including some of the school's accommodation at 80 South Bridge.{{cite web |last1=agencies |first1=Staff and |title=Edinburgh AI archive lost in fire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/dec/09/highereducation.science |website=the Guardian |access-date=30 March 2021 |language=en |date=9 December 2002}} The school took over four floors of the Appleton Tower as emergency accommodation.{{cite web |last1=Fourman |first1=Michael Paul |title=Emergency Arrangements |url=https://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/emergency/ |website=www.inf.ed.ac.uk |access-date=30 March 2021}} 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.{{cite web |title=News Article |url=https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/news-se/news-fullarticle.htm?articleid=124807& |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=22 November 2005|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051122061313/https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/news-se/news-fullarticle.htm?articleid=124807&|archive-date = 22 November 2005}} 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 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.{{cite web |title=£150m campus roads revamp |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/ps150m-campus-roads-revamp-2510625 |website=www.scotsman.com |access-date=30 March 2021 |language=en}}

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.{{cite web |last1=Welch |first1=Adrian |title=Best Building in Scotland Award 2008, Architecture |url=https://www.e-architect.com/awards/best-building-in-scotland-award-2008 |website=e-architect |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=7 November 2008}}

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

{{reflist}}

{{Commons cat|Informatics Forum}}

• [http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/building/ Informatics Forum Construction]
• [http://migration.inf.ed.ac.uk/Forum/plans Detailed plans of all the 7 floors]
• [http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/building/GeorgeSquareHistory.pdf George Square 1876-1976]
• [http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/building/plans/GeorgeSquareMasterplan.kmz George Square MasterPlan (.kmz)]

{{coord|55|56|41|N|3|11|14.5|W|type:landmark|display=title}}

{{University of Edinburgh}}

{{Buildings and Structures in Edinburgh}}

Category:Buildings and structures of the University of Edinburgh

Category:University of Edinburgh School of Informatics