The Spine set to take shape

The new £35m northern headquarters of the Royal College of Physicians will be known officially as The Spine, taking its name from a striking staircase on its north elevation that resembles human vertebrae.

Located within the £1bn Paddington Village development in Liverpool, UK, The Spine will feature a timber curtain wall designed to reconnect people with nature and a unique ceramic frit façade, complete with 23 million unique voronoi polygons that mimic human skin and react to the local environment to control noise and glare.

The 160,000 sq ft building will be one of the healthiest workspaces for mental and physical wellbeing in the UK and among the first to achieve the international WELL standard of modern building design when it opens its doors in 2020.

Morgan Sindall is working in partnership with Liverpool City Council to deliver the Paddington Village scheme. Phase one is now underway, and phase two will see the arrival of The Spine.