Building at St Mary’s Hospital to provide space for research into antimicrobial resistance
Stanton Williams has triumphed over a group of big name practices to win a job to design a medical research building at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.
The firm beat AHMM, Allies & Morrison, Grimshaw and a collaboration between Wilkinson Eyre with White Arkitekter in the RIBA competition for the Fleming Centre, named after microbiologist Alexander Fleming.
The seven-storey scheme is part of the wider Fleming Initiative, established jointly by Imperial College Healthcare and Imperial College London to find solutions to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a global scale.
It will provide space for researchers, policymakers, clinicians, behavioral experts, commercial partners and the public as one hub in a global network of centres in strategic locations around the world working as part of the initiative.
Stanton William’s selection was partly informed by feedback from more than 300 visitors who attended a three-day design exhibition held in November which showcased the proposals from the five shortlisted teams.
The next phase of the project will involve detailed design development, public consultations and the submission of a planning application to Westminster council.
The winning practice said its designs for the building aimed to reflect a series of mid 19th century warehouses on the formerly industrial site which were converted into hospital buildings in the 1980s.
The proposals include a water source heat pump, photovoltaic panels, biodiverse landscaping and a low-carbon structure. The ground floor is intended as an open and welcoming extension of the public realm, offering views into laboratories and curated exhibition spaces.
Ara Darzi, executive chair of the Fleming Initiative, described the submission as a “bold vision” which reflects the centre’s “unique purpose and global significance”.
“By providing a flexible space to unite researchers, policymakers, clinicians, behavioral experts, commercial partners and the public in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, we can ensure that the Fleming Centre becomes a global beacon for change in healthcare,” he said.
Tim Orchard, chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, added: “The Stanton Williams design concept gave the selection panel great confidence that the building they design will honour both Sir Alexander Fleming’s legacy and our aspiration for continued innovation with local and global impact.”
The building, which is envisaged as a key part of the Paddington life sciences cluster, will be integrated into a planned future redevelopment of the wider St Mary’s Hospital campus, a project which is part of the government’s New Hospital Programme pipeline.
It is scheduled to open in 2028 to mark the 100th anniversary of Fleming’s discovery of penicillin at the hospital.
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