The Usher Building was conceived as a world-class hub for data-driven healthcare research bringing together academics, industry partners and the public within a single, highly complex environment.

Before interior design began, our work focused on understanding how the building would be used in practice: how people would arrive, orientate themselves, move through the space, collaborate and transition between focused work and shared activity. This early experience-led thinking helped establish clarity around movement, interaction and use ensuring the building could support collaboration without friction.

That experience logic informed the interior design and wayfinding strategy that followed.

Working closely with the architectural intent, we developed flexible layouts, intuitive navigation and a clear spatial hierarchy that complements the building’s advanced research function while remaining accessible and welcoming to a broad user group. Wayfinding and environmental graphics were carefully integrated to reduce cognitive load, support confident movement and reinforce a strong sense of place across the building.

The result is a hybrid research and workplace environment that feels legible, calm and purposeful — supporting everyday use as well as moments of exchange and collaboration. The Usher Building demonstrates how early experience-led thinking can help complex, high-performance environments work smoothly from day one, rather than relying on post-occupancy fixes.