Tall & Urban News

Approval of a US$305 million (£270 million) high-rise development in Leeds has been granted. The site for Lisbon Street previously held John Poulson’s Leeds International Pool project which was constructed in the 1960s. This pool was famously known at the time for not qualifying as an Olympic pool because it was just centimeters too short. This city-center pool was demolished 12 years ago and has been used as a parking lot since. 

The complex is being developed by both Marrico Asset Management and Helios Real Estate while DLA Architecture designed the project. There will be two residential high-rises on the site, one 33 stories and the other 22 stories. These buildings will hold a total of 629 flats and 11,000 square meters (120,000 square feet) of office space. There will also be a 24-story high-rise that will provide 548 student apartments aand an 11-story office building. In addition, a 15-story serviced apartment that will contain 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet) of co-working space. 

The project design aimed to become a transition between the city’s financial core and the nearby residential areas. The project featured the tradition red brick hues found in Leeds and shifts to a more contemporary palette in the western part of the site. Fifty five percent of the site is planned to hold gardens and landscaping. There will also be a public square which will connect this complex to the nearby Park Square and Wellington Place neighborhoods. 

For more on this story, go to the Architect’s Journal.