PLACES
Shaping my city.
Plymouth.
Clockwise from left: University of Plymouth, Market Hall, The Box, National Marine Aquarium, Harbour Arch Quay and Civic Centre.
Director Simon French shares some of the transformative projects that have helped to make Plymouth an exciting and dynamic city that celebrates its heritage.
LET'S TALK
HOARE LEA & PLYMOUTH
Our Plymouth office was set up more than 60 years ago and is now home to an ever-growing group of MEP engineers and specialist experts who are passionate about preserving the city’s heritage and powering forward into a sustainable future. From our office in the historic Royal William Yard, we have forged long-lasting relationships with many like-minded changemakers in the region.
Near the waterfront...
University of Plymouth.
IN PROGRESS / COMPLETED
We’ve had an established relationship with the university for over 30 years and continue to be involved with projects today. The Roland Levinsky Building (pictured), which brought together arts and science faculties under one roof, was completed in 2009 and named after the late Vice Chancellor who inspired it. Part of the 10-year masterplan development team, we’ve been involved in new builds and refurbishments across campus, including Davy Building laboratories, the Nancy Astor sports centre, and the ‘wave tank’ Marine Building. Our latest project, the New Engineering and Design Facility, is close to our hearts as it will educate future generations of engineers. Our MEP design makes allowance for future connection into an ambient loop energy network which dovetails with other commissions associated with the NZC agenda.
Market Hall.
COMPLETED
This brilliant space was developed by the charity Real Ideas Organisation (RIO), in partnership with Plymouth City Council and the Institute of Digital Art and Technology at University of Plymouth. At its heart is Europe’s first ever 360-degree, 15-metre dome, which can host amazing immersive experiences. It really puts Plymouth on the map internationally as a place with an emerging cluster around immersive technology, and offers incredible experiences and opportunities to people living and growing up in Devonport and the wider city. For this complicated and highly technical project, we had to remain open-minded to the brief and be supportive of our client’s objectives to deliver their vision.
The Box.
COMPLETED
The Box may have an unassuming name but, now complete, it stands out as a landmark building in the city, seamlessly connecting a bold new build extension with the existing historic structure of Plymouth’s Library and Museum. The building showcases the history of our wonderful city, particularly its unique naval heritage. It was incredibly rewarding to be part of the team that overcame the engineering challenges to bring new focus and purpose to this award-winning building, which now attracts many thousands of visitors each year.
National Marine Aquarium.
IN PROGRESS
Housing the largest tank in the UK, at 2.5 million litres, our beloved aquarium is a Plymouth landmark enjoyed by all ages. It’s been fascinating to go behind the scenes of the marine exhibitions and see the amount of work and energy required to keep it running. The large amounts of energy come with a significant carbon footprint, which needs to be reduced as part of Plymouth Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan. The space’s unique energy profiles have allowed us to consider new high-efficiency technologies to replace the existing systems. We have been working collaboratively with the client team and we look forward to helping reduce both their carbon footprint and future energy costs.
Harbour Arch Quay.
IN PROGRESS
This is going to be a fantastic, luxurious addition to Plymouth’s Sutton Harbour. Its two-bedroom and three-bedroom penthouse apartments will overlook a beautiful marina on Plymouth’s harbourside. With construction having started on site in May, it is great to see this building taking shape. Excitingly, Harbour Arch Quay is just one of several developments planned for Sutton Harbour, the historic heart of Plymouth.
Civic Centre.
IN PROGRESS
Until a few years ago, this Grade II-listed space was the tallest building in the city, with far-reaching views over Plymouth Sound, Dartmoor and beyond. Opened by HRM Queen Elizabeth II in 1962, it’s now being developed by Urban Splash, a client we have collaborated with on numerous projects, who shares our interest in historic refurbishment projects (notably Royal William Yard where our office is based). There is a huge community driving force ensuring its redevelopment into a multi-use residential workspace and leisure development.
Clockwise from left: Derriford District Centre, Plessey, Future Hospital - University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and Lighthouse Laboratory.
To the wider city...
Derriford District Centre.
IN PROGRESS
This is a site for which many Bristolians hold much affection, so ensuring its development creates a This is an exciting new use of the former Seaton parade ground, which will create a proper public hub for anyone visiting or working in Derriford Hospital, as well as the university students local to the Plymouth area. The plans for the new site include some very enticing food stores, coffee shops and health and fitness spaces, with the bonus of a new EV charging area. The complex will also have multi-functional spaces with flexible areas suitable for a variety of different uses. Happily, biodiversity is at its core, and the plans centre around native trees and hedgerows that will provide green links for birds and bats. Needless to say, we’re excited to see the project through to the finish line and enjoy the results of a project with a great ethos aligned to our values.
Plessey.
IN PROGRESS
This site has been at the forefront of the semiconductor industry for more than 30 years. Plessey recently partnered with Meta to take their expertise with microelectronics and develop a new type of MicroLED that will be used in augmented reality glasses. As you’d imagine, the partnership has seen substantial investment in the site and a massive increase in R&D and production. We’ve been supporting Plessey with infrastructure upgrade projects to meet this increased demand, as well as improving their carbon footprint. The technical complexity of these systems, coupled with the often limited information to work with due to the cutting-edge nature of their work, has been challenging but highly rewarding. We look forward to seeing the site grow.
Future Hospital, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
IN PROGRESS
This is set to be a momentous one for the city, with a projected value of £150m. It will be quite the journey to deliver a new 15,000sqm building that will house a new emergency department and suite of hi-tech theatres. Given the much-publicised high demands on emergency departments around the country, and the large catchment area that will depend on this one, we are very glad to be working on such a positive project that will help people across the region in so many ways. Construction is due to begin in 2023, with completion in 2026, so it’s certainly a project looking firmly to the future.
Lighthouse Laboratory.
COMPLETED
The Lighthouse Laboratory was a dedicated Covid-19 sample testing facility. We were part of the team involved in its rapid design and construction (over 11 weeks) within an existing warehouse building. At full capacity, the laboratory had the ability to process up to 40,000 Covid-19 tests per day. This project had collaboration and transformation at its heart, especially as we were joined by colleagues from our Cardiff and London offices, and supported by so many of our specialist groups.
Illustration: Steve Evans