AHR appointed to £35m Royal College of Physicians scheme
Morgan Sindall, the construction and infrastructure company, has appointed AHR Architects to design the landmark Northern Centre of Excellence on the £35m Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter development.
It will be a landmark development in the heart of Paddington Village, delivering about 70,000sq ft of state-of-the-art space for the RCP.
AHR is a multi-award winning architecture and building consultancy practice, operating in the UK and internationally. With a legacy dating back to 1835, AHR works across a range of sectors, including commercial, education, residential, transport and infrastructure, leisure, retail and health.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, said: “The signing of RCP North was a key moment for Knowledge Quarter Liverpool and underlined the international importance of the site. I’m delighted to see the RCP, with Morgan Sindall, are creating a building befitting the aspirations and ambitions we all have to make Knowledge Quarter Liverpool a world leader in its field and a major engine of the city’s economy.”
Barry Roberts, Morgan Sindall area director in the North West, said: “We’re delighted to announce AHR’s appointment to this iconic scheme which will provide a new home for the RCP in the North West.
“Their highly sustainable, innovative design will deliver an iconic building, inspired by well-being. RCP headquarters will sit at the heart of Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter, and will provide an outstanding environment where academia, and research will play a key role in driving forward business and innovation.”
Dominic Manfredi, AHR director, said: “We are honoured to have been awarded this very prestigious project, and look forward to working with the RCP to create a landmark building that can help to deliver their future vision for the college.
“Our design aims to capture the people-focused vision of the RCP, incorporating features that directly relate to positive well-being and health.”
The building has been designed to ensure ease of access to the public. A simple orthogonal grid will divide the area and ensure that spaces can be organised and reconfigured to suit the evolving needs of all building users – offering occupants real flexibility and choice.
Morgan Sindall was appointed by Liverpool City Council (LCC) to deliver two projects as part of the local authority’s Paddington Village scheme – a planned £1 bn extension to the city’s Knowledge Quarter.
The work was procured through the North West Construction Hub framework and is part of the local authority’s vision to build on Liverpool’s thriving life science sector, attracting investment, creating knowledge-intensive jobs and cementing the city region as an international destination of significance for the life-science, healthcare and technology industries.
Plans for Paddington Village will see the 30-acre site, located just off Smithtown Lane, to the east of the city centre, developed into three plots – Paddington North, Paddington Central and Paddington South.
Morgan Sindall’s successful tender will see the company carry out two distinct projects on the central plot.
The first phase of work, worth around £12m and due to start on site soon, involves the installation of infrastructure, creation of public realm across the predominantly brownfield site and the creation of development plots to make them market-ready. Pre-construction has already started, with the building due to handover in late 2019.
Meanwhile, the Liverpool operation of Morgan Sindall has taken residence in a new office at Liverpool Science Park – in the park’s Innovation Centre 3 (ic3) on Mount Pleasant, which was originally built by Morgan Sindall in 2014.
