Former Yorkshire Post Site

Positioned between Leeds City Centre, the West End and the River Aire corridor, the proposals create a distinctive new architectural presence that reflects the site’s heritage while responding to the city’s continued evolution.

Two contemporary workplace buildings combine high-quality workspace, active ground-floor uses and enhanced public realm, creating a vibrant new gateway for the West End and a lasting contribution to Leeds’ changing skyline.

The Former Yorkshire Post Site is a place shaped by industry, identity and change. From its origins within Leeds’ industrial landscape to its role as the home of the Yorkshire Post, the site has long formed part of the city’s story.

The proposals seek to reconnect this important location with the wider city, transforming a historic gateway into a contemporary workplace destination for the future. A family of distinctive buildings responds to the evolving character of the West End, drawing inspiration from the site’s heritage through form, rhythm and materiality.

By strengthening connections, enhancing public realm and creating a welcoming arrival experience, the development establishes a resilient and adaptable new place that celebrates the past while supporting the continued evolution of Leeds.

The design approach is rooted in a detailed understanding of the site, its surroundings and its environmental conditions. From the outset, the proposals have been shaped by considerations of orientation, daylight, wind, landscape and the relationship with the evolving West End.

The design deliberately reaches back into the site’s Yorkshire Post heritage, using its history to help shape the façades. One building takes its cue from stacks of newspapers, layered horizontal bands and subtle shifts creating the depth, shadow and rhythm of bundled newsprint. The other zooms right into the mechanics of the printed page, drawing on magnified half-tone dot patterns to turn the graphic language of print into architecture.

The result is a confident new presence for Leeds – a sustainable and future-focused workplace destination designed around collaboration, wellbeing and long-term flexibility.

Landscape forms an integral part of the proposals, helping to create a welcoming setting for occupiers, visitors and the wider community. New external spaces improve pedestrian experience, introduce opportunities for biodiversity and strengthen connections through the site. The public realm strategy supports a more active and inclusive city environment, creating spaces that can be enjoyed throughout the day.

Rooted in the site’s history and shaped by its future, the proposals create high-quality, adaptable buildings within a greener, more connected public realm – establishing a confident new identity for the West End and a lasting contribution to the city.