Seven weeks after announcing BDP聽 as its chosen architect, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has announced that it has parted ways with BDP already and selected Perkins & Will instead.
The project, to build a new Children鈥檚 Hospital, as well as a hospital for adult services in a 94,000 square metre building at Leeds General Infirmary, is still at concept stage.聽 The trust hopes to start construction in 2023, enabling it to align with the government鈥檚 new hospital programme.聽
The trust held an international design competition to appoint an architect for its Hospitals of the Future project and announced BDP as its preferred bidder in August. Discussions then collapsed so the trust has turned instead to the Perkins & Will team, led by Penoyre & Prasad with Schmidt Hammer Lassen.
Simon Worthington, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust director of finance, said: 鈥淲e were unable to proceed with one of our tenderers but, in accordance with good procurement practice the right thing to do was to follow due process and this has resulted in the Perkins & Will team being appointed as the trust鈥檚 preferred bidder to take forward this design opportunity.聽
鈥淭he competition process to appoint an architect was very strong with a number of international practices taking part which meant we received some exceptional concept designs.聽 The Perkins & Will concept design is very exciting and will create a fantastic landmark for the hospital and the city of Leeds and we are delighted to be working with them to create the new hospitals.鈥�
The Perkins & Will concept has daylight, views, and greenery. This is seen as a link back to the inauguration of the original Leeds General Infirmary in 1869 鈥� a key aspect of which included nature in the healing process by ensuring patients got plenty of light and air.聽聽
The new hospital will have a roof garden.
The concept design now needs to be developed further through a design development process involving a range of stakeholder inputs.
Perkins & Will managing principal Mark Rowe said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 obviously a huge privilege to be entrusted with the design of such a prominent site in one of the country鈥檚 most important cities.聽 Working closely with the trust, we believe we can deliver an outstanding building that not only supports exemplary clinical care and treatment but that over time can become as cherished a part of the Leeds cityscape as George Gilbert Scott鈥檚 exemplary original hospital.鈥�
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