Quartermile Group
Location
Edinburgh
Project Team
Michael Laird Architects
Awards & Mentions
- Scottish Commercial Workplace of the Year
Deliverables
- Brand Identity
- Wayfinding
- Technical Drawings
- Manufacture and Installation
Quartermile is made up of four separate buildings, each needing to stand on its own commercially while still feeling part of a wider, coherent place. That balance isn’t easy to get right.
For Quartermile One, there was an opportunity to approach things differently. The brand identity was defined and embedded early in the process, while key design decisions were still being shaped. This made a more integrated outcome possible.
Inspired by the logic of the Channel 4 logo, the concept is built around individual elements that can stand alone, but form a cohesive whole when brought together. In a development like Quartermile, that balance between individuality and consistency helps the scheme read as a unified place.
Developing Q1’s identity early meant it could actively shape the space. Working closely with MLA, the brand became a shared language rather than a separate layer. Its geometry, proportions and visual rhythm informed decisions around materiality, colour, form and signage.
This plays out in both large and small details. The signage throughout the building takes its shape from the individual elements of the Q1 identity. At reception, the logo isn’t applied as an afterthought, but engraved directly into the desk during fabrication, giving it a more integrated, higher-quality feel. Elsewhere, patterns derived from the identity are carried through into wallpapers and surface finishes.
This wasn’t about applying graphics to a finished interior. It was about coordinating the environment so that everything felt considered and connected.
At the centre of the scheme, a suspended installation brings that thinking into physical form. Positioned within the atrium, it is visible from multiple floors and from the street, giving the building a clear identity and a strong focal point.
It’s a simple idea on the surface, but complex in reality. The structure is made up of multiple elements, offset and balanced in space, and positioned high within the building.
Delivering it required detailed coordination with structural engineers and fabrication partners to resolve load, fixing points and installation sequencing. Every decision had to account for weight, safety and the constraints of the building. From the outset, the focus was on creating something that was not only distinctive, but actually deliverable.
The result is a space that feels joined up from the moment you enter and continues to reveal itself as you move through the building. Brand and interior design work together at every level, from the overall spatial experience down to the smallest touchpoints. This consistency gives the building a stronger sense of identity and intent, supporting both occupier experience and commercial positioning.
More than anything, the project shows the value of incorporating brand thinking earlier in the design process. The identity becomes part of the fabric of the building, helping to shape how it is experienced.
