When the Edinburgh College of Art was established in 1907, the Main Building was built at the Lauriston Campus, situated above the Grassmarket with expansive views towards Edinburgh Castle. It has since become one of a cluster of buildings built on the site, each marking different periods of the college’s growth.

To the north-east of the architecture studios, at the top of vennel steps sits Kier Street car park, the chosen site for the college’s further expansion. The proposal houses a school for sustainable furniture making, where recycled and repurposed materials are at the heart of the making process and sustainable materials are echoed throughout the building fabric. Responding to the site's slopped context, the building is arranged as a series of tiered platforms under a stepped saw-tooth roof, creating an open, single-volume studio space to encourage the collaboration of users and integration of different activities. The stepped roof lights fill the studio platforms with north light and provide unobstructed views of the Edinburgh Castle and skyline.