Scarborough Group International (SGI) has appointed a design team to lead the transformation of the Grade II*-listed Old Medical School on the Leeds General Infirmary site into a cutting-edge health tech innovation hub.
The team will be led by Leeds-based architectural practice AHR, known for its expertise in life-sciences and innovation projects such as Nexus at the University of Leeds and the Spine in Liverpool. It will be supported by Buro Happold as engineering consultant, Buttress as heritage consultant, Burnley Wilson Fish as quantity surveyor and Zerum as planning consultant. Together, the team will work at balancing the building’s heritage with the demands of modern functionality.
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The redevelopment forms part of SGI’s agreement to acquire the building from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) once the property is vacated later this year. The repurposing of the Old Medical School as a health tech innovation hub marks the first phase of LTHT’s Innovation Village and a significant part of Leeds’s £1.5billion Innovation Arc.
The 7,000-square-metre hub will include co-working spaces, meeting rooms, event areas, offices and laboratories. Designed to encourage collaboration, it will bring together university spinouts, start-ups, established companies and industry leaders to work alongside the NHS and academic institutions. According to SGI, its goal is to create an environment where scientific research can lead to practical healthcare solutions, driving economic growth and improving patient care.
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By integrating historic architecture with contemporary innovation, the hub will cultivate creativity, collaboration and technological advancements that will shape the future of healthcare within Leeds and the wider West Yorkshire region.
‘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,’ said Mark Jackson, a spokesperson for SGI. ‘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.’
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‘Progress with the redevelopment of the Old Medical School is moving ahead really well, breathing new life into this grand, historic building that has witnessed countless contributions to healthcare in Leeds and across the world. Under this work, that legacy will continue,’ said Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of LTHT. ‘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.’
‘This redevelopment marks a significant milestone for the city of Leeds, at the heart of the Innovation Arc,’ said Gurminder Sanghera, director at AHR. ‘The Old Medical School has a rich heritage and our vision is to seamlessly weave in modern interventions to create an innovative facility that will foster and support a new community and ecosystem where cutting-edge health tech innovations can take place within a dramatic setting, while preserving and celebrating the building’s historical significance. This project is a true testament to the power of architecture to bridge past and future, in an exemplar and sustainable retrofit solution.’
The design team is now working to refine the plans for the redevelopment, with a pre-application submission to Leeds City Council scheduled for early 2025.