The greenest building is the one that already exists. This is the core philosophy for this deep retrofit of the outdated offices at St John’s Centre, Leeds, to create 287 student beds. The strategy will ensure that the building remains in long-term use and represents a significant saving in embodied carbon when compared to a new-build development.
The proposal will create a mix of studio and cluster apartments, arranged around a new landscaped rooftop terrace atop an existing retail centre that will remain in active use during construction.
The decision to repurpose and upgrade the existing building, with a targeted BREEAM Excellent rating, is driven by Leonard Design’s commitment to reducing the lifecycle carbon in all of our projects.
The existing cladding will be replaced with new façades to improve fire safety and ensure that an A1 rating is achieved in compliance with the Building Safety Act. The design of the new façades has been considered to respond to local context, the new use of the building, and provide a long-lasting and high-quality finish. Planning consent for the proposals were granted by Leeds City Council in October 2024.
Client
Global Mutual
Patron Capital
