Architect announced for new Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease

An intimate audience of approximately 20 people, including Rob Burrow and his parents Geoff and Irene, took part in the first engagement session today of the newly appointed architect firm for the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease.

Costorphine & Wright, a multi award-winning, chartered architectural practice with 11 studios throughout the UK, has worked on a wide variety of projects across the country from the redevelopment of the former Waterloo International terminal to the transformation of the Royal Liver Building. The Leeds studio highlighted links with grass roots sports clubs, as well as long-standing relationships with local schools and universities.

Costorphine & Wright was part of a competitive tender to be appointed on the project.

During the engagement session, which was attended by the Burrow family, members of the MND clinical team and patients, the architects presented their approach to designing and instructing for build a new centre which brings to life the vision of all those invested in the project. This will include access to daylight, nature and gardens, defined clinical spaces and a communal hub for families to be together throughout their care.

Craige Richardson, Executive Director: Estate & Facilities, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said “We’re delighted to welcome Costorphine &Wright on board to the project and to start the journey that will now take us through to the construction of the new centre. This is a milestone moment in the project and we’re looking forward to an exciting phase of creativity as the team brings their experience across healthcare and commercial building design to this unique project. This first engagement session has begun and we’ve really embarked on the journey now.”

Since Leeds Hospitals Charity launched its appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in September 2021, £4.5 million of the £6.8 million fundraising target has now been raised.

This is thanks to many fundraisers, including Kevin Sinfield and his epic challenges, and most recently more than 600 runners taking part in the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon. The marathon alone raised in excess of £1 million for Leeds Hospitals Charity’s appeal, with Rob’s wife Lindsey raising more than £100,000.

Esther Wakeman, Chief Executive of Leeds Hospitals Charity said:

“We are delighted that Corstorphine & Wright has been appointed to design the new Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, this is an exciting step forward on our journey to build a new centre for MND patients and their loved ones. We are looking forward to working closely with the architects, the Burrow family, staff and patients at the MND centre to help make Rob’s dream of a specialist MND centre in Leeds a reality.

“Over the coming months, we hope to share plans and concept designs for the new centre with our supporters who have so generously donated to help us get one step closer to building the centre. We still need to raise £2.3 million, and I hope that the public will continue to get behind our appeal so we can make a difference to people living with MND and their families across our region.”

Toby Ingle, associate director, Corstorphine & Wright highlighted “The studio is honoured to be appointed to deliver the new centre. The project will be delivered collaboratively with the MND community, including patients, families, staff as well as the people of Leeds, to ensure that the centre is not only state of the art for the treatment of MND but ‘captures the spirit of Leeds and the Yorkshire region’.”

Ian Flatt, MND patient and charity fundraiser said “We have a real opportunity here to build a new centre that can be the best in class for MND care – because nothing like this currently exists. I’m really excited to be part of the engagement around the design as it’s a chance to completely transform how we approach the treatment of MND for people like me.”

The aspiration is that this building will become an exemplar for therapeutic clinical spaces, located within sensitively designed and carefully curated landscaped areas, providing sensory enrichment for all users of the building as they go through their journey with MND.

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Help us raise £6.8 million to build a specialist Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Care Centre in Leeds, to give people living with MND the best quality of life.

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