Following a RIBA competition, a team from London-based design studio, Stanton Williams, has been selected to design the Fleming Centre – a ‘pioneering’ research and public engagement facility to be built on the St Mary’s Hospital campus in Paddington, London.
Part of the wider Fleming Initiative, established jointly by Imperial College Healthcare and Imperial College London, the practice describes this as ‘a vitally important project for the world we live in, providing a flexible space to unite researchers, policymakers, clinicians, behavioural experts, commercial partners, and the public in the fight against antimicrobial resistance’.
Stanton Williams said: “Adapting and re-using Paddington's historic canalside industrial warehouses, known as The Bays, our design proposes to build on the past to look to the future – both in terms of its physical context and, intellectually, the pioneering work of Alexander Fleming. The building seeks to break down disciplinary silos to encourage the exchange and interaction that underpins the creation of new ideas. Public engagement is central to the design, with the ground floor conceived as an open and welcoming extension of the public realm, offering views into laboratories and curated exhibition spaces to draw the public into the heart of the building, and engage them with its activities.
“It’s a privilege to be working with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust on this globally significant project, which aims to become a global beacon for change in healthcare, and ‘put science on show’, demystifying critical research to celebrate and encourage participation in the vital, but often unseen, work of researchers and clinicians.”
The project’s next phase will involve detailed design development, public consultations, and the submission of a planning application in collaboration with Westminster City Council.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), said: “The Centre will provide a space to bring together researchers, policy-makers, clinicians, behavioural experts, commercial partners, and the public, to combine their shared networks, expertise, and skills in the fight against AMR. It will also be part of a global network of centres in strategic locations around the world, aiming to catalyse worldwide action.”
The selection follows a competitive RIBA design competition and a three-day design exhibition last November, which showcased five concept designs from five shortlisted architects. RIBA explained: “Feedback from over 300 visitors and 100 written responses helped guide the final selection, ensuring the winning concept reflected excellence in both design and functionality, and is a real asset to the local community.”
The Fleming Centre is intended to be integrated into a full redevelopment of St Mary’s Hospital, which is included in the Government’s New Hospital Programme, and is due to open in 2028, marking 100 years since Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin at St Mary’s.
Professor the Lord Darzi, Executive Chair of the Fleming Initiative, said: “Stanton Williams has a bold vision for the Fleming Centre, and has brought our ambitions to life with a concept that reflects the Centre’s unique purpose and global significance. By providing a flexible space to unite researchers, policymakers, clinicians, behavioural 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.”
Stanton Williams’ appointment to design the Fleming Centre is supported by the following design team members, who bring expertise across key disciplines:
• Civil and structural engineering: Ove Arup & Partners.
• Mechanical and electrical engineering (MEP), BREEAM, and fire consultancy: Ramboll.
• Project and cost management consultants: CPC Project Services.
• Town planning consultant: Montagu Evans.
