TP Bennett has completed 11 & 12 Wellington Place, a pair of interconnected office buildings in central Leeds, England, designed around operational energy performance, workplace flexibility, and the industrial heritage of the site.

Developed by MEPC, the specialist real estate development platform within Federated Hermes, the 10- and 11-storey buildings provide 254,879 square feet of office, leisure, and retail space. The two bronze-coloured structures are connected by a glazed link from level four upwards.

From design target to 5.5-star performance

11 & 12 Wellington Place were the first buildings outside London to secure a five-star NABERS Design Reviewed Target Rating. Following a full year of occupancy, operational data confirmed the targeted performance. The development subsequently became the first new office project in the UK to achieve a certified NABERS UK Five Star Energy Rating.

The buildings have since improved on this performance, achieving a 5.5 Star NABERS UK Energy Rating and placing them among a very small number of UK offices to reach this level of measured operational energy performance. The development has also achieved BREEAM Outstanding, EPC A, and Fitwel Two Star ratings.

Industrial heritage shapes the facades

Located close to Leeds railway station, 11 & 12 Wellington Place occupy a central position within the wider Wellington Place estate. The Grade II-listed lifting tower to the east and historic railway viaduct to the west connect the development to the area's industrial and railway heritage, which informed the architectural language of the buildings.

Conceived to appear as though they had been ‘cast in place’, the facades are structured by a bronze-coloured primary grid, overlaid with finer silver secondary framing. The combination creates depth through projecting and recessed elements, with the metallic tones drawing on the tempering colours of steel.

A clearly expressed double-height plinth spans the ground and first floors of each building, while feature cladding defines the upper levels. This tripartite composition of plinth, middle, and top references the proportions of many civic buildings in Leeds.

The two buildings frame a landscaped public space, with their entrances facing one another across it. The glazed link connects the upper levels and shelters the walkway below, reinforcing the relationship between the two structures. Inset terraces are positioned at alternating corners as the buildings rise, while larger terraces of approximately 2,300 square feet at the ninth and tenth floors provide views across the estate and surrounding city.

Two buildings designed for flexible occupation

The internal arrangement maintains the independence of 11 and 12 Wellington Place while allowing the buildings to function together. From ground level to the third floor, the two buildings operate as separate office spaces, each organised around its own central core. From level four upwards, the glazed link connects the floor plates, allowing an entire connected floor to be occupied by a single tenant or subdivided between multiple tenants.

Developed speculatively as Cat A office space, the buildings were designed to accommodate changing tenant requirements while limiting disruption to the building fabric during future fit-outs.

Each building has a double-height reception space overlooked by a first-floor walkway, animating the entrance areas and providing opportunities for informal interaction. Living green walls introduce planting into the receptions, while their flexible layout allows for potential future connections to adjacent commercial units.

At ground and basement levels, supporting amenities include retail space, a large gym, 140 secure cycle spaces, showers, changing areas, and lockers.

A fabric-first approach to energy performance

Energy demand was addressed through a fabric-first strategy incorporating solar control, low-emissivity triple glazing, high levels of airtightness, and facade components configured to shade glazed openings. This is combined with an all-electric servicing strategy using reversible air-source heat pumps, alongside roof-mounted photovoltaics.

At design stage, 11 & 12 Wellington Place targeted operational energy use of no more than 43 kWh/m² per year (net lettable area), representing 41 percent less energy than the average UK office building. This focus on measured performance underpins the development’s 5.5 Star NABERS UK Energy Rating, which assesses actual energy consumption in use rather than design intent alone.

Landscape and biodiversity

Landscape architect Planit designed the external landscape as part of the wider public realm strategy for Wellington Place. Across the estate, six acres of regenerated public space incorporate 47 new trees, biodiverse planting, vegetable patches, fruit trees, and beehives.