Northern green

The beating heart of Paddington Village, Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, The Spine is the first Grade-A office building in the city for over a decade. Its standout design is inspired by the human body.
📍Location
🏢Building Details
160,000 sq. ft., 14-storey = highest building in the city
Workplace for 200 people: new Northern home for the Royal College of Physicians
Includes state-of-the-art medical simulation spaces for practical examinations
Design draws on narrative of the human body through abstract representations: building name derived from striking geometric staircase inspired by vertebrae form
👷🏾♀️Contractor
Richard Potts – Area Director at Morgan Sindall
✍️Architects & Engineers
Robert Hopkins – Director & Head of Sustainability at AHR
Steve Mcdonald – Managing Director at BA Joinery
Mike Lee – Former A&D Development Manager (North) at PPG Architectural Coatings
Martin Stapleton – Director at CDS Architectural Metalwork
Thomas Palfreyman – Managing Director & Owner at Urban Planters
Oliver Smith – Director at OOBE Ltd
🌱Sustainability
BREEAM Outstanding
Distinctive mathematical Voronoi patterned façade (inspired by human skin) with 23 million individual polygons applied to glazing to assist in solar control
Energy efficient LED lights (400lux) + intelligent lighting control systems = 50% energy saving
74 dedicated bicycle racks + dedicated electric car charging points
🥦 Wellbeing
Achieved WELL Platinum – scoring 101/110, the highest of any (25,000) WELL certified buildings in the world
Biophilic design: strong connections to nature with many high-oxygen-producing plants, natural colour palette, natural light, and calming soundscape
Enhanced ventilation + filtration system delivers greater levels of fresh air than typical commercial systems
Helical stairs improving visual and physical connectivity between floors
🎈Bonus feature
Includes 3 ‘vertical villages’ – double height green spaces to create immersive biophilic feel far beyond basic planting. Veitchia merrillii trees over 4m tall create a woodland canopy feel. These are the lungs of the building.
🔗 Check it out https://www.ahr.co.uk/The-Spine

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