Morgan Sindall has been named as the preferred contractor to build a £61m science laboratory and workspace in Liverpool.
The 117,190 net sq ft development will be located at Paddington Village in the city’s Knowledge Quarter.
Client Sciontec said it would work with Morgan Sindall to refine the project’s technical design ahead of its construction phase, which is due to start in the autumn.
The appointment followed a competitive tender process through the North West Construction Hub High Value Framework.
Morgan Sindall previously delivered the neighbouring building, The Spine, a 160,000sq ft commercial building that is now occupied by the Royal College of Physicians.
Morgan Sindall’s north-west area director, Steven Gregory, said: “Hemisphere One is strategically important for the City Region, and our wealth of experience when it comes to delivering high-performance science and technology schemes means we are well placed to take this project forward.
“The exceptional facilities we will build will create the perfect environment for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, enabling world-leading researchers and scientists to deliver work that will result in better patient outcomes.”
Sciontec is a partnership between Liverpool City Council, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Bruntwood SciTech.
Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Sciontec, said: “The appointment of a trusted and experienced main contractor in Morgan Sindall allows us to now confidently move ahead with finalising the designs and commencing shell and core work over the coming months.
“While we are advancing with pre-let agreements, we also hope that this latest step forward will offer confidence to the wider market and future innovation occupiers that Liverpool can deliver excellent new developments at scale.”
The planned second phase, Hemisphere Two, would eventually provide a total of 216,693sq ft of chemistry, data, bio and innovation labs, as well as incubator, grow-on and commercial lab space.
Procurement for the second phase will be managed under a separate tender process at a later date, the developer said.
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Ian Weinfass