Liverpool’s new city mayor and regional metro mayor will officially open one of the world’s healthiest buildings today (21 May).
The landmark building, the Spine, based in Paddington Village, 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, it is the first Grade-A office building in the Liverpool City Region for more than a decade. It will also be the highest in the city, sitting proudly at the eastern gateway to the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) Innovation District.
The 200,000 square foot, 14-storey building, designed by architecture and building consultancy practice AHR and built by City Council appointed contractors and construction partners Morgan Sindall Construction, stands more than 500ft above sea level, commanding spectacular views across the city and as far as Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Pennines.
In what will be their first joint public event since being elected, mayor Joanne Anderson and metro mayor Steve Rotheram will take a tour of the building, which will include meeting some of the 90 young apprentices who have helped to construct The Spine over the past four years.
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 £1 billion KQ Liverpool expansion site lies east of the city centre which, when complete, will be a key part of Liverpool’s world-leading innovation district – incorporating new science, technology, education and health space.
‘It’s brilliant to see the investment we’ve made in the Knowledge Quarter really starting to take shape,’ said Mr Rotheram.
‘The Spine is a building that really encapsulates a lot of my vision for the region: harnessing the expertise of our world-class universities, attracting nationwide jobs and housing it all in one of the cleanest, greenest buildings in Europe. As mayor, it’s exactly the sort of thing I am working to deliver on a region-wide level.
‘We’re already seeing the difference those investments are having. From the jobs we’re attracting with the Royal College of Physicians, to the training and apprenticeship opportunities we’re creating for local young people like those we’ve met today, we’re making sure that everybody in our region is able to benefit. This is what devolution is all about: us taking more decisions for ourselves and shaping the future of our region in a way that benefits all of our communities,’ added the metro mayor.