Fleming Centre St. Mary’s Hospital Paddington building news, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust design images
post updated 22 April 2026
Planning approval for new Fleming Centre at St Mary’s Hospital
Architecture: Stanton Williams Architects
images courtesy of Stanton Williams Architects
Fleming Centre St. Mary’s Hospital Planning Approval News
Wednesday 22nd of April 2026 – Plans for a major new research and public engagement centre on the St Mary’s Hospital site in Paddington have been approved by Westminster City Council’s Planning Committee. The planning application will now be referred to the Mayor of London for sign-off.
The Fleming Centre will be the headquarters of the Fleming Initiative, a joint partnership between Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London. It will be the first in a planned global network of centres working to tackle the increasing, global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The Centre has been designed by Stanton Williams and is due to open in 2028, helping to mark the centenary of the discovery of penicillin at St Mary’s Hospital by Sir Alexander Fleming.
Lord Darzi, Executive Chair of the Fleming Initiative, said: “Planning permission for the Fleming Centre is a defining moment in our response to one of the great health threats of this century. Almost a hundred years ago, in a modest laboratory at St Mary’s, Alexander Fleming opened the antibiotic era. Today, that era is under threat. Antimicrobial resistance already claims more than a million lives a year and risks unwinding a century of medical progress.
“The Fleming Centre is our answer. It will bring scientists, clinicians, patients, policymakers and the public into the same rooms, asking the important questions – part discovery engine, part public square, part living laboratory. Alongside it, St Mary’s will grow into a fully integrated campus where clinical care, research, life sciences and education sit side by side.
“That this Centre rises on the very ground where penicillin was discovered is not sentiment. It is intent. Where Fleming began, we begin again – this time, with the world watching.”
Professor Tim Orchard, Group Chief Executive of the North West London Acute Provider Group, which includes including Imperial College Healthcare, said: “This is a significant moment for the Fleming Centre and the fight against AMR, which will build on St Mary’s Hospital’s proud history of research, innovation and medical breakthroughs. It also supports our wider plans to redevelop the wider St Mary’s site, bringing new opportunities and investment to the area as part of Paddington Life Sciences.”
Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, said: “It’s encouraging to see the Fleming Initiative take another crucial step on its journey to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
“Establishing the Fleming Centre at the heart of Paddington Life Sciences will provide the ideal environment to enable rapid advances in AMR, as well as connecting its work to opportunities across the broader WestTech London ecosystem.
“The Fleming Initiative embodies the spirit of collaboration which drives Imperial, not only between the Fleming’s founding university and NHS partners, but between multiple sectors. This approach will enable the Fleming to bring together expertise from medical and life sciences, policy and public engagement to tackle the growing global health crisis of AMR. We eagerly await the next steps in this journey.”
The six-storey building will combine world-leading scientific research facilities with welcoming spaces for public engagement, including exhibitions and events. The Centre will operate as a living lab, bringing together researchers, clinicians, patients, the public and policymakers to accelerate new approaches to preventing, detecting and treating infections.
The project will involve repurposing and significantly extending The Bays, a terrace of nineteenth‑century warehouses along the Grand Union Canal that have been used as office spaces by the Trust. The redevelopment will maintain an important link to the area’s industrial heritage, retain historic features such as the brick shell, warehouse doors and cranes.
At ground-floor level, the retained structure will be opened up to create exhibition spaces and a café, with further exhibition areas incorporated. These spaces are designed to place science on show, helping to bridge the public directly with the research taking place within the building.
Above, new laboratory and research facilities, space for clinical trials, collaborative workspaces and convening areas will support the Fleming Initiative’s mission and strengthen the link between research and frontline NHS care.
Designed to meet NHS net zero carbon standards, the Fleming Centre will be a sustainable facility that contributes to the planned full redevelopment of the St Mary’s Hospital site. Public engagement to help shape the design of the wider campus is currently underway.
Matt Tulley, Redevelopment Director at Imperial College Healthcare, said: “The approval of the Fleming Centre is a significant milestone for St Mary’s Hospital and the Fleming Initiative, our partnership with Imperial College London. The Centre will build on the site’s extraordinary history of medical discovery, while creating a modern, inclusive space where research, clinical expertise and public engagement come together to address one of the most pressing health challenges of our time.”
Amit Mulji, Chief Operating Officer at the Fleming Initiative, added: “Securing planning approval for the Fleming Centre is a pivotal step as the Fleming Initiative moves further into its scaling-up phase. It brings us closer to creating the essential infrastructure to enable collaborations that can unlock new ways of tackling antimicrobial resistance, through delivering a hub that is locally rooted and globally connected.”
Stanton Williams, appointed following a Royal Institute of British Architects invited design competition in 2024, led the design of the building. Their plans have drawn on feedback from patients, local communities and staff.
Gavin Henderson, Principal Director, Stanton Williams, said: “We are delighted that The Fleming Centre has received unanimous planning approval.
“Working on this project of global significance for humanity is a unique privilege. Our radical transformation of these historic warehouses creates a suitably bold identity for the ambitious vision of this important new institution, while retaining a vital link to the community’s past.”
Find out more about the Fleming Centre: Our latest proposals | Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
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Previously on e-architect:
post updated 14 March 2026
Feedback invited on early designs for the Fleming Centre at St Mary’s Hospital
Design: Stanton Williams Architects
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is inviting the public to help shape the design of the Fleming Centre – a new, state-of-the-art research and public engagement hub at St Mary’s Hospital.
Fleming Centre St. Mary’s Hospital Public Consultation
The Centre is part of the wider Fleming Initiative, established jointly by Imperial College Healthcare and Imperial College London and led by Executive chair, Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, to tackle the increasingly urgent, global threat of antimicrobial resistance. It will provide a space to bring together researchers, policymakers, clinicians, behavioural scientists, commercial partners and the public to combine their shared networks, expertise and skills.
Antimicrobials – including antibiotics – have transformed healthcare by treating infections, making surgery safer, and protecting people with weakened immune systems. However, overuse and misuse of these vital medicines has led to the rise of resistant microbes or antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Without urgent action, we risk entering a post-antibiotic era where even common infections could once again become life-threatening.
Patients, the public and the local community, are invited to view the early design proposals and feedback online from 13 June. They can also come along to an exhibition in the proposed location for the Fleming Centre at St Mary’s Hospital or join an online webinar, where members of the project team, including lead architects Stanton Williams (except Friday), will be on hand to answer questions. The in-person public exhibitions will also provide an opportunity to see a model of the designs.
Online webinar – register via www.imperial.nhs.uk/FlemingConsultation
- Wednesday 25 June – 6-7pm
Fleming Centre design exhibition at The Bays, St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington:
- Thursday 26 June – 12-7pm
- Friday 27 June – 12-7pm
- Saturday 28 June – 10-2pm
While funding for the Fleming Centre is separate to NHS funding for St Mary’s Hospital, each will benefit the work of the other. The Centre is planned as a precursor to the redevelopment of the whole of the St Mary’s site as part of the Government’s New Hospital Programme. This will include a new 800-bed hospital as well as further expansion of Paddington Life Sciences, the cluster of life science and data businesses developing around the hospital.
The Fleming Centre building is due to open in 2028, marking 100 years since the discovery of the first antibiotic – penicillin – at St Mary’s by Sir Alexander Fleming.
The building proposals include:
- A public discovery centre with interactive exhibition spaces, an event programme and canal-side café
- Public research facilities, laboratories and workspaces for institutions, academics, policy makers and the community to collaborate
- Welcoming outdoor spaces and improved routes that are safe and accessible
All the feedback will be used to inform the next phase of the project, including detailed design, further public consultations, and the submission of a planning application in collaboration with Westminster City Council.
The Trust announced in January that Stanton Williams had been selected to design the Fleming Centre, following a RIBA competition and three-day public exhibition in November. This event showcased five concept designs from five shortlisted architects and feedback from over 300 visitors and 100 written responses helped guide the final selection, ensuring that the winning design concept reflected excellence in both design and functionality and can be a real asset to the local community.
Professor Tim Orchard, Chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “The Fleming Centre promises to be an exciting new hub of research and policy development to find solutions to AMR that will benefit patients and communities locally and around the world for many years to come.
“Co-producing solutions with patients and the public is vital but it’s just as important that the Fleming Centre building itself is informed by the views and needs of our community and represents the historic legacy of antibiotics and research at St Mary’s.”
To find out more and respond to the consultation from 13 June, visit: www.imperial.nhs.uk/FlemingConsultation
Previously on e-architect:
8 July 2024
Location: Paddington, Borough of Westminster, Northwest London, England, UK
Images: Stanton Williams
Fleming Centre St. Mary’s Hospital, London
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today announced that Stanton Williams has been selected to design the new Fleming Centre, a research and public engagement facility to be built on the St Mary’s Hospital campus in Paddington, London.
The Fleming Centre is part of the wider Fleming Initiative, established jointly by Imperial College Healthcare and Imperial College London to find solutions to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a global scale. The Centre will provide a space to bring together researchers, policymakers, clinicians, behavioral experts, commercial partners and the public to combine their shared networks, expertise and skills in the fight against AMR. It will also be part of a global network of centres in strategic locations around the world, aiming to catalyse worldwide action.
The selection follows a competitive RIBA design competition and a three-day design exhibition in November, showcasing five concept designs from five shortlisted architects. Feedback from over 300 visitors and 100 written responses helped guide the final selection, ensuring that the winning concept reflected excellence in both design and functionality and is a real asset to the local community.
The next phase of the project will involve detailed design development, public consultations, and the submission of a planning application in collaboration with Westminster City Council.
The Centre is intended to be integrated into a full redevelopment of St Mary’s Hospital which is included in the Government’s New Hospital Programme. The Centre is due to open in 2028, marking 100 years since the discovery of penicillin at St Mary’s by Sir Alexander Fleming.
The other shortlisted teams invited to take part in the design phase of the competition were:
• AHMM
• Allies and Morrison
• Grimshaw
• Wilkinson Eyre with White Arkitekter
Stanton Williams’ concept design for the Fleming Centre embraces the heritage of its proposed location on the site of The Bays. These former industrial warehouses, dating back to around 1850, were originally used for transport and distribution before being incorporated into the hospital in 1983. Their approach retains and adapts The Bays as a vital link to Paddington’s industrial past while inserting new elements, including the Fleming Discovery Centre, to showcase cutting-edge science and research. The design prioritises sustainability, proposing features such as renewable energy systems, including a water-source heat pump and photovoltaic panels, alongside biodiverse landscaping and a low-carbon structure. Public engagement is central, with the ground floor designed as an open and welcoming extension of the public realm, offering views into laboratories and curated exhibition spaces to bring science to life.
Professor the Lord Darzi, Executive Chair of the Fleming Initiative said: “Stanton Williams has a bold vision for the Fleming Centre and have brought our ambitions to life with a concept that reflects the Centre’s unique purpose and global significance. By providing a flexible space to unite researchers, policymakers, clinicians, behavioral experts, commercial partners and the public in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, we can ensure that the Fleming Centre becomes a global beacon for change in healthcare.”
Professor Tim Orchard, chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “This is an exciting milestone for the Fleming Centre and the planned, wider redevelopment of the St Mary’s Hospital site. The Stanton Williams design concept gave the selection panel great confidence that the building they design will honour both Sir Alexander Fleming’s legacy and our aspiration for continued innovation with local and global impact.”
Imperial President Professor Hugh Brady said: “The Fleming Centre will bring together Imperial’s world-leading researchers with diverse UK and international partners, including from academia, the pharmaceutical industry, policy community and civil society to tackle the challenge of AMR head-on. The new building will also be a key part of the Paddington Life Sciences development and Imperial WestTech Corridor vision. We are excited to be one step closer to starting the transformative work it will enable us to do.”
Architects: Stanton Williams – https://stantonwilliams.com/en
Renders: Stanton Williams
RIBA launches competition to design Fleming Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington
photo © Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Fleming Centre St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington Building
Monday 8th of July 2024 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today announced the launch of a design competition following the ‘Competitive Procedure with Negotiation’ on behalf of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
The competition is seeking an architect to design the Fleming Centre, a Life Sciences facility that will be located on the St. Mary’s Hospital site in Paddington, London.
The Centre will be at the heart of the global Fleming Initiative, an innovative and collaborative new approach led by the Trust and Imperial College London, with HRH Prince of Wales as its patron, to tackle anti-microbial resistance (AMR) around the world.
At the Fleming Centre, scientists will work alongside clinicians, patients, members of the public and policy makers to scope, test and scale solutions. Consequently, the building should be purposefully designed to encourage the public to engage with world-leading science, policy and behavioural change research, ensuring new solutions work for local contexts.
The Centre is due to open at St Mary’s hospital in 2028, helping mark the centenary of the discovery of Penicillin at the hospital by Sir Alexander Fleming. It will be the first new building to open on the St Mary’s site in the coming years, as plans for the wider redevelopment of the whole hospital site continue to progress.
Professor Tim Orchard, Chief Executive, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust said:
“The launch of the RIBA design competition marks an exciting milestone for the Fleming Centre and St Mary’s hospital more widely. This state-of-the-art facility will not only honour the legacy of Alexander Fleming and St Mary’s as the birthplace of penicillin but also spearhead the fight against antimicrobial resistance through groundbreaking research and public engagement.
We are looking forward to collaborating with visionary architects to create a centre that will inspire and facilitate global change in healthcare. It will also be the first completed building in the redeveloped St Mary’s hospital, demonstrating our vision to protect St Mary’s position as a world-class trauma hospital and a centre for life-saving research.”
Applications are invited in accordance with the requirements set out in the briefing document and selection questionnaire.
Further information can be found on the architecture competition webpage including a link to register.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 7 August 2024 at 12:00 BST. It is anticipated that up to five teams will be shortlisted and invited to participate in the design phase of the competition.
RIBA Competitions
Please ensure the RIBA is credited when mentioning the above competition. RIBA Competitions delivers choice, inspiration and value to clients through expertly run competitive selection processes. The dedicated RIBA Competitions team can help you explore the full potential of your project, for further information visit www.architecture.com/competitions or email RIBA.Competitions(at)riba.org.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Imperial College Healthcare is one of the largest NHS Trusts in England, with over 15,000 staff providing acute and specialist healthcare to over one million people a year.
• The Trust runs five hospitals in central and west London – Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea, St Mary’s and the Western Eye.
• The Trust also hosts the National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, in partnership with Imperial College London.
• Find out more: www.imperial.nhs.uk
Fleming Centre St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington London image / information from the RIBA – The Royal Institute of British Architects
Location: St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, north west London, United Kingdom.
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