The slow growth of the University of Liverpool had led to an inefficient services network and we were asked to design a new energy centre to serve the whole campus. Owing to its prominent location, we were keen to develop a distinctive building, which we termed HIP (Heating Infrastructure Project). Although we were acutely aware of a need to respond sensitively to the Conservation Area context, we wanted to reflect the building’s use through its appearance.

We devised a visually striking, but technically quite complex facade, which became the pivotal element of the whole project and enables the entire building to 'breathe'. Reducing energy consumption was obviously a key driver for this project, and we embraced this in the building fabric as well as with the improvements to the plant itself. Altogether, the energy centre is saving 6,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, equivalent to taking 3,000 cars off the road.