Scarborough appoints Old Medical School team
The 75,000 sq ft grade two-listed building will become a health tech innovation hub, with Leeds-based architect AHR leading the design team.
Located on the site of Leeds General Infirmary hospital, the building will be part of the city’s Innovation Village and will support activity around the Leeds Teaching Hospital’s Innovation Pop Up, which will host established industry players, start-ups, academic institutions, community organisations, and government initiatives all focused on health.
The design team also includes engineering consultants Buro Happold, heritage consultants Buttress, BWF as quantity surveyor, and Zerum as planning consultant.
AHR has worked on other life science projects, including Nexus at the University of Leeds, while Buttress will focus on preserving the building’s original features
Once complete, the Old Medical School will have co-working spaces, meeting rooms, event areas, offices, and laboratories.
A pre-application for the redevelopment plans will be submitted to Leeds City Council early this year.
SGI his set to acquire the building once Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust vacates the property later this year, adding to its portfolio of life sciences and innovation assets.
Mark Jackson, group development director at SGI, said:“The Old Medical School is a very complicated building, located in the middle of a working hospital site, which brings unique challenges to its redevelopment.
“It will also serve as a catalyst for the wider Innovation Village, so it’s absolutely essential we have the right team on board to get this right.
“With AHR’s expertise in life sciences, Buttress’s heritage sensitivity, and the trusted collaboration of Buro Happold, BWF and Zerum, we’re confident this team has the experience and capability to deliver on every aspect of this ambitious vision.”
Professor Phil Wood, chief executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the LGI site, added: “It is a key part of wider plans in this part of the city to create an Innovation Village, transforming health and life science-led research and care.
“It will also complement the development of a new state-of-the-art hospital on the Leeds General Infirmary site.”
Gurminder Sanghera, director at AHR, commented: “This project is a true testament to the power of architecture to bridge past and future, in an exemplar and sustainable retrofit solution.”
