Construction is scheduled to start in August on a site made vacant by old student residences. Bowmer & Kirkland is expected to complete by early 2019.
The new building, being designed by architect Sheppard Robson, is envisioned as a ‘discovery laboratory’, where students can design, explore and create devices and systems that have real-world applications, the university says.
“The Discovery and Innovation Centre is much more than just a building,” said Gillian Murray, deputy principal for enterprise and business. “It will change how we teach, learn and apply our spark and skills to solving global issues.”
She added: “Alongside the infrastructure development will be a new enterprise programme to build a strong entrepreneurial culture, in which students will be encouraged and supported to launch their own spin outs and start-ups. Heriot-Watt’s ambition is to be a world-leading institution that harnesses creativity, develops leaders that generate ground-breaking projects and creates entirely new industries and supply chains. The Discovery and Innovation Centre will put us in that sphere; that’s the scale of it.”
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