A major signage project is underway that will transform Little France and bring Edinburgh BioQuarter to life. The wayfinding project, being jointly delivered by Edinburgh BioQuarter’s four public sector partners, will address the varying needs of people accessing the site by vehicle, public transport, cycle and on foot.
Edinburgh BioQuarter is a partnership between NHS Lothian, Scottish Enterprise, the University of Edinburgh and the City of Edinburgh Council. Through this collaboration, Edinburgh BioQuarter brings together young, growing and established life science companies, the esteemed Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the world-renowned University of Edinburgh’s medical teaching school and many of its award-winning research institutes. The campus promotes a collaborative environment to ensure that industry, academia and the NHS work side-by-side, leading to innovative projects, scientific advances and accelerated commercial developments.
Scottish Enterprise, which supports economic development and growth of new ventures emanating from, or attracted to, Edinburgh BioQuarter, and the City of Edinburgh Council’s pivotal role as a facilitator of this part of Edinburgh, add further dimensions to the city’s brand as a world-leading place to live and work.
Over 90 new signs will span the 100-acre Edinburgh BioQuarter campus. Three eight-metre-high signposts will be situated along the A7 Old Dalkeith Road – marking out the main entrances and exits – with further detailed orientation boards, street signs and building signage installed.
The signs will be unveiled later this year with car park names also changing as part of the project. Hugh Edmiston, Chair of Edinburgh BioQuarter’s Strategy Board and Director of Corporate Services for the University of Edinburgh, said: “This is a major project and a significant milestone in the evolution of Edinburgh BioQuarter as a leading destination for healthcare delivery and scientific discovery.
“What is most important is that people can travel safely to and from the site and, as the campus continues to grow, partners will continue to put emphasis on the development of our joint travel plans.
“This project supports the ongoing development of the campus, while also putting a firm marker in the ground for Edinburgh BioQuarter as we look to promote a campus-wide approach.”
The wayfinding project will address and improve the experiences of people accessing Edinburgh BioQuarter. The campus brings together over 7,500 people, with many hundreds of thousands of patients and visitors attending the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh each year.
Alan Lowdon, Interim Director of Edinburgh BioQuarter, said: “Edinburgh BioQuarter is a place with world-leading expertise across healthcare and life sciences, and it is the co-location of these people, state-of-the-art facilities and hi-tech equipment which makes it unique.
There are many success stories which co-location has brought to improving patient outcomes and developing new treatments and technologies. We want to develop even more opportunities for people to work together, and one way of ensuring that innovation and commercial opportunities are realised is by improving experiences and by making it easier for people to meet, collaborate and share their ideas.”
The Edinburgh BioQuarter wayfinding and signage project is being delivered by Ironside Farrar, the award-winning landscape architects, environmental planners and civil engineers.
Janet Pope, Director of Ironside Farrar, said: “The new BioQuarter signage will present clear, fully legible and consistent wayfinding information for visitors, supporting safe movement and easy to follow directions to all key destinations within this busy and complex site.
“A comprehensive network of road and pedestrian signs provide information and define routes connecting site arrival to building entrances, design has been carefully developed to ensure visibility and clarity for all users.”
A masterplan for Edinburgh BioQuarter, which allocates space to create a modern high density urban environment, received outline planning approval from the City of Edinburgh Council in 2013.
Development proposals, set to be realised in the coming five years, will see a new NHS Lothian Eye Pavilion Hospital, University of Edinburgh Medical Teaching School Building and Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences Building. Plans also set out to build more commercial office and lab space, a hotel with conference facilities, gym, cafes and multi-storey car parking.
More informaton on the Edinburgh BioQuarter can be found at www.edinburghbioquarter.com
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