The Usher Building at Edinburgh BioQuarter was conceived as a world-class hub for data-driven health and social care research bringing together academics, researchers, industry partners and the wider public within a highly complex workplace environment.

Designed in the wake of Covid, the project placed increased importance on wellbeing, human connection and the quality of everyday experience within the workplace. The interior design approach focused on creating an environment that felt calm, legible and supportive, helping people move intuitively through the building while encouraging collaboration, focus and moments of pause throughout the day.

Working closely with the architectural intent, our role centred on shaping interior environments through the lens of light, movement and behavioural experience. Early design thinking considered how people would transition between focused work, shared activity and informal interaction, ensuring the building supported different modes of working without friction.

Natural light played a central role in the interior experience, helping create uplifting, restorative spaces that support wellbeing and reduce fatigue across long working days. Flexible layouts, soft material palettes and carefully considered spatial rhythm were used to create clarity and ease throughout the building, while maintaining the highly functional requirements of a live research environment.

The result is a contemporary workplace and innovative approach for University of Edinburgh Estate Team designed around how people actually work, move and feel, balancing high-performance research requirements with a calmer, more human-centred interior experience.