Sciontec reveals timetable for £51.7m HEMISPHERE One laboratory and office space development in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter and unveils a new design. Tony McDonough reports
Sciontec has unveiled a new design for its £51.7m HEMISPHERE One laboratory and office space scheme in Liverpool.
HEMISPHERE One, which will offer 150,000 sq ft of space across eight storeys, will be built in Paddington Village, part of the £1bn Liverpool Knowledge Quarter just outside the city centre. There is also a second building – HEMISPHERE Two – planned.
Liverpool City Council, Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Liverpool, and Bruntwood SciTech are the partners behind Sciontec which also manages Liverpool Science Park and CENTRAL TECH which is the former Sensor City.
Morgan Sindall Construction is the main contractor on HEMISPHERE One which will take 22 months to build and is due for completion in 2028. The new design was unveiled at the MIPIM commercial property expo in Cannes on Wednesday.
It will be the first red brick commercial structure to be built in Liverpool for more than a century, and one of the largest since the construction of the Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse in 1901.
This project will employ multiple teams of up to 60 bricklayers, including apprentices, across the approximately 22-month build programme, creating jobs and opportunities for local sub-contractors.
Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Sciontec, said: “The HEMISPHERE project is a key step in the regeneration of Liverpool, completing Paddington Village and continuing the expansion of Liverpool’s now globally renowned KQ Liverpool innovation district.
“Following on from the success of our Liverpool Science Park and CENTRAL TECH buildings, HEMISPHERE will deliver the additional CAT 2 labs and larger innovative workspaces that our fast-growing customers need.
“HEMISPHERE will also help to unlock inward investment in life sciences in Liverpool, attracting new global players in science and tech into the Liverpool City Region, bringing new innovation and creating higher-value jobs.”
With a facade concept design by AHR Architects, the scheme draws on the “architectural dialogue” between Liverpool and New York.
In the mid-19th century, Liverpool developed a distinctive vernacular architecture shaped by the practical demands of dock storage. Projects such as Royal Albert Dock and the Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse established the robust brick proportions.
These ideas travelled west. In New York, architects adapted Liverpool’s vernacular for buildings in SoHo and neighbouring districts, retaining those characteristic brick proportions.
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City region Mayor Steve Rotheram added: “Plans for HEMISPHERE are central to our collective ambitions to create life-changing opportunities for local people, both today and in future generations.
“Bricklaying is a discipline particularly close to my heart, so I’m obviously delighted to hear that this vital trade skill will be front and centre on this project.”
Project team on HEMISPHERE One includes AHR Architects, Curtins, Morgan Sindall, Silcock Leedham, Stantec and Walker Sime. The retained leasing agents are Avison Young, Carter Jonas and Worthington Owen.