A joint venture between Liverpool City Council and Sciontec will see a £35m net zero carbon office building built in the city’s Knowledge Quarter. Tony McDonough reports
Plans for Liverpool’s first net zero carbon office building have been announced in a partnership between the city council and Sciontec Developments.
Called HEMISPHERE, the proposed £35m building will feature 116,000 sq ft of grade A office space for health, education, science and tech occupiers. It will be located next to The Spine, a 14-storey office scheme that also cost £35m and opened in May this year.
The Royal College of Physicians signed a lease to occupy 70,000 sq ft of 200,000 sq ft building for its new northern headquarters and other space has also quickly been snapped up. The city council is keen to capitalise on this demand.
Sciontec is a spin-out company of knowledge sector development vehicle KQ Liverpool and is the operator of Liverpool Science Park. It is owned by Liverpool City Council, Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Liverpool and Bruntwood Sci-Tech.
A report to Liverpool City Council’s cabinet is recommending the council enter into an agreement with Sciontec that will pave the way for the next landmark building on Paddington Village.
The eco-friendly scheme, which will be subject to an independent evaluation of the plot of land before a 150-year lease is granted to Sciontec, is seen as critical to the city’s recovery by encouraging job creation in the health, science, research and education sectors.
Depending on cabinet approval, the next step after the agreement is entered into, would be for a planning application to be submitted in mid-2022 with an expectation that HEMISPHERE’S construction would begin later that year and be completed in late 2024.
The investment in HEMISPHERE follows the initial £1m investment made in Liverpool Science Park by Sciontec in mid-2021. Sciontec has further expansion plans in 2022 with another project to create further science and technology workspace in KQ Liverpool to be announced in early-2022.
Cllr Sarah Doyle, Deputy Mayor of Liverpool and Cabinet Member for Development and Economy, said: “For Liverpool’s post-pandemic economic recovery to succeed, we need to deliver high quality schemes that generate skilled jobs that are rooted in industries that reflect the needs of the 21st century.
“It would be a great addition to Paddington Village and would also provide Liverpool with much needed grade A office space, giving people fantastic conditions to work in. There are a few steps to take before HEMISPHERE becomes a reality but its potential impact on our knowledge economy is exciting.”
Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Sciontec, added: “HEMISPHERE will further build on the success of The Spine and the other recent developments at Paddington Village to create a world class destination for health, education, science and technology.”