The Spine has been designed according to the scientific and medical research principles established in the international WELL Standard to achieve WELL Platinum, it is on track to be one of the healthiest workspaces for mental health and physical wellbeing in the UK
Costing £35m to construct, The Spine, based in Paddington Village, is the first Grade-A office building in the Liverpool City Region for more than a decade.
It is also the highest in the city, sitting proudly at the eastern gateway to the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) Innovation District.
The 160,000 square foot, 14-storey building, designed by architecture and building consultancy practice AHR, stands more than 500ft above sea level, commanding spectacular views across the city and as far as Snowdonia and the Pennines.
In what was their first joint public event since being elected, Mayor Joanne Anderson and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram took a tour of the building, which included meeting young apprentices employed by Morgan Sindall Construction who helped to construct The Spine over the past four years.
Delivery team:
- Morgan Sindall Construction – Principal contractor
- AHR: Architect (The Spine) and interior designer (RCP fit-out)
- ARUP – Multi-discipline engineers
- CBRE – Lead consultant for RCP
- Overbury – Fit out contractor for RCP
- CBRE and Knight Frank – Letting agents
- KQ Liverpool – Strategic support and marketing.
Building layout and design
The Spine’s layout and design also uses biophilic design principles, with strong connections to nature established throughout the building. The distinctive façade takes inspiration from the human skin, with the striking Voronoi pattern including 23m individual polygons applied in a frit pattern to the glazing.
The Spine’s eco-credentials are also boosted by three double-height spaces on the ground, 10th and 12th floors, with planters containing high-oxygen-producing plants to improve the internal environment, a large number of cycle spaces and electric car charging points installed at the nearby car park.
A dedicated exhibition space on the first floor will connect via a staircase to a ground floor café and foyer, while the higher floors, which are circa 11,550 square feet, will enjoy some of the best views of the city thanks to floor-to-ceiling glazing throughout.
The building will be heated by a low-carbon heating exchange based within the ground floor of brand new 14-storey car park – also built by Morgan Sindall Construction – which is due to open in July this year.
Building plans
As well as The RCP, which has taken seven floors within The Spine, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has taken a floor, with the City Council in negotiations to complete the occupancy of the building.
Paddington Village, which received £12m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority towards a £20m infrastructure programme, will feature several other buildings, some of which are already occupied.
This includes a new hotel by Novotel – another Morgan Sindall Construction project – which will follow in April 2022.
Plans for further developments on Paddington are also being progressed, with designs for HEMISPHERE, a new health, life sciences and tech focused building, soon to be revealed by Liverpool Science Park owners, Sciontec Developments Limited.
At 30 acres, Paddington Village, which was once the site of a now relocated secondary school, is being developed by Liverpool City Council in three phases: Paddington Central, Paddington South and Paddington North.
The £1bn KQ Liverpool expansion site lies east of the city centre which, when complete, will be a key part of Liverpool’s innovation district – incorporating new science, technology, education and health space.
