2 SOVEREIGN SQUARE : LEEDS

We are pleased to announce that a full planning application has been recently submitted for a new hotel development at Sovereign Square, Leeds, the last remaining site at the high profile Sovereign Square development.

The scheme consists of a 14-storey hotel catering for business and leisure guests and features 331 short and extended stay rooms, on-site gym and meeting facilities. Restaurant, bar and café areas sit within a double height colonnade space spilling out the rain gardens and water features of the urban parkscape.

The design for the façade takes inspiration from the surrounding architecture, the wider characteristic historic vernacular as well as using form and shadow to create elevational interest. The extruded mass, which has been informed through a long term dialogue with Wind & Microclimate Engineers, has been split to create two main elements, responding to their appropriate aspects. These elements share an architectural language and tripartite composition but are differentiated through variation in their tone. Brick has been chosen as the most appropriate material to integrate with both the historic and contemporary urban fabric of the area with the two brick tones creating a response and transition from the predominant terracotta tones of the neighbouring period and twentieth century buildings, desaturating to more civic tones to the open landscaped public square to create a sense of lightness.

The project will support around 190 construction jobs over the life of the project with the completed hotel creating 80 full-time jobs upon completion.

DLA Design is working on the project with property developer and investor Marrico, RBA as cost consultants and project monitor, CSD as M&E consultants, Curtins as structural engineers, Quod as planning consultants and Re-form as landscape architects.