Leonora House: Paying Homage To Local Legacy In Leeds

Client: 54 North Homes
Budget: £12,000,000
Completion: November 2024
Location: Railway Street, Leeds

At a glance

Leonora House marks the latest new build residential development in Leeds, offering 28 one-bedroom, 25 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom apartments designed to a high specification. These affordable new homes set themself apart, paying homage to the local legacy that surrounds it with Leeds’ suffrage history incorporated into the building’s design.

Named after the celebrated local suffragette, Leonora Cohen, the design of this project reflected the city’s rich history and Leonora’s legacy as a feminist pioneer. The design incorporates suffragette colours with purple and green featured in the building’s communal areas and information plaques.

Alongside the 52 apartments, the build also included workspace areas to accommodate those working from home or requiring a quiet space. The scheme also comprised a shared landscaped garden to enhance biodiversity as well as each of the ground floor apartments having their own garden. The neighbouring open space was also loaned by Leeds City Council and transformed by Caddick, with stone and rubble removed and top soil restored for public use.

The build process

Designed in partnership with Brewster Bye Architects and structural engineers, Rosco, work began on the affordable homes scheme in Spring 2023 following Caddick’s appointment by Yorkshire-based 54 North Homes.

With the building visible from the city’s railway links, its multi-brickwork facade required an ergonomic design to prevent sunlight glare for railway users and drivers. With meticulous attention to detail, the team designed wave-like curvatures in the external appearance of the structural concrete frame, giving the development a unique stylistic edge.

Sustainable homes for the future

The Leonora House development connects onto the award-winning Leeds PIPES’ low-carbon heat network. This 30km pipe network sees heat from the city’s general waste disposal transformed into an affordable, reliable and sustainable heat and hot water source. Leonora House proudly joins the 1,850 homes in Leeds currently benefiting from reduced bills and sustainably sourced heat from the network. EV charging points and cycle storage were also incorporated to facilitate greener travel choices.

Throughout the programme Caddick dedicated 92% of supply chain spend to local businesses, with a further 60% of local labour utilised within a 30 mile radius of the site. Elsewhere in the community Caddick engaged with over 380 local young people through 14 educational site visits or workshops, 14 six week-long work experience placements and six apprentices also supported on-site. Caddick was also responsible for donating and planting trees for Ebor Gardens Primary School pupils.