Located in Paddington Village, in the heart of the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) Innovation District, Hemisphere, by Sciontec, is described as a 119,612 sq ft building designed for people who care about making places and the environment better and those who are driven by innovation and inclusivity.

Meeting growing demand for environmentally friendly workspaces, Hemisphere is said to be smart-tech enabled, providing prime Grade A office space. According to Sciontec, the commercial property development spin-out of KQ Liverpool, the building will be one of the UK’s first new-builds with operational net-zero, Platinum WELL, BREEAM Excellent, EPC Rated A, WiredScore certified, and NABERS 5.5 Star. 

At MIPIM – a major real estate event, taking place this week in Cannes, France – Sciontec announced it will provide free sustainability guidance for all its clients to help them meet their own targets for operational energy use, as part of a green leasing strategy. This will form part of Liverpool City Council’s ten post-pandemic pledges to stimulate economic growth, forecasting 800 new jobs and supporting 100 apprenticeships during construction alone.

Situated next door to the WELL-accredited The Spine – one of the world’s healthiest buildings – Hemisphere will be the first new-build development for Sciontec, the owner of Liverpool Science Park.

Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Sciontec and KQ Liverpool, said: “We’re proud to be working with Liverpool City Council, with the support of the City Region, to deliver a holistic approach to creating Paddington Village as an inclusive destination for health, life sciences, tech and digital innovation. Nothing encapsulates that vision more than Paddington’s next new building: the 120,000 sq ft Hemisphere.

“Hemisphere promises to change the future of work. Operational net-zero carbon, designed for people who truly care about the environment, for businesses and agencies that are driven by innovation, inclusivity and wellbeing.”

Melding the creative and the logical

The name ‘Hemisphere’ represents the two sides of the human brain, where the right side is creative and imaginative, and the left academic and logical. Encapsulating this split, the architecture of the building has also been carefully crafted by AHR Architects to inject its own personality, look and feel. 

Rob Hopkins, director and head of sustainability at AHR, said: “Hemisphere will be the first new-build office development in the Liverpool City Region, designed to be operational net-zero carbon, achieving 55kwh/m² per year, embodying 30-per-cent less carbon than a typical office building, 30-per-cent less energy consumption, 40-per-cent less glazing, and 20-per-cent more natural ventilation.”

Set across eight floors, the building will feature 166 secure cycle spaces and e-bike charging facilities, making it an appealing proposition for cycling commuters. Other building amenities include a wellness studio, outdoor workspaces and roof terrace, an innovation lab, and a multi-purpose event space.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram noted that the plans capture much of his own vision for the region: harnessing the expertise of universities in the Knowledge Quarter; creating employment and attracting jobs; and housing this enterprise in one of the cleanest and greenest buildings in the area.

 “With world-leading industry clusters in infectious disease control, materials chemistry, and AI all on our doorstep, we’ve a thriving innovation economy,” declared Mayor Rotheram. “But to keep it growing, it’s vital that we’re able to offer businesses the high-tech, sustainable office space they need to flourish and catapult our area to the forefront of UK innovation. Hemisphere will help take us there – and I can’t wait to see it start to take shape.”

The building plans have the support of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which has already invested £12m into Paddington Village. Sciontec is aiming to break ground at the end of this year, with a completion date in late 2025, and it is already in discussion with several potential pre-lets.