What has AHR been shortlisted for at the Insider North West Property Awards?

We have been shortlisted for Architectural Practice of the Year at the Insider North West Property Awards — a recognition of the role our Manchester studio has played in shaping the region's built environment over the past 40 years. Working across eleven sectors, including healthcare, education, residential and workplace design, our North West team combines creative ambition, technical rigour and a genuine commitment to delivering long-term value for clients and communities across the region.

What is the Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre at the University of Salford?

Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre is one of the UK's first trauma-informed buildings, located at the University of Salford. Designed with and for the community, the building brings together teaching, clinical practice and community services within a single setting. The design was shaped through close collaboration with academics, clinicians, students and community partners, whose lived experience and professional insights informed every decision — from spatial safety and sensory comfort to clarity of layout and navigation.

How is AHR supporting the regeneration of Ellesmere Port through the new market project?

We are transforming Ellesmere Port's existing market building into a vibrant destination for both residents and visitors as part of the town's wider regeneration. The redesigned market will feature a main dining area, co-working space, facilities for business start-ups and market traders, and flexible event space. By creating a welcoming, inclusive environment that supports economic growth and local enterprise, the project aims to bring renewed energy and opportunity to the heart of the community.

What is AHR's approach to sustainable and community-led architecture in the North West?

Sustainability is central to everything we do — from carbon reduction and energy performance to health and wellbeing and social value. Our evidence-led approach translates research into real built outcomes that stand the test of time, delivered across healthcare, education, residential and commercial sectors throughout the North West. As a people-first practice, we invest in our teams, champion inclusive cultures and build long-term client relationships grounded in trust, open communication and a shared commitment to creating places that genuinely work.

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Awards

We're shortlisted at this year's Insider North West Property Awards

Min Read

by AHR

We're proud to be shortlisted for Architectural Practice of the Year, recognising the active role we've played in shaping the North West's built environment over the past 40 years.

From our vibrant Manchester city centre studio, our talented team delivers architecture and consultancy services across eleven diverse sectors, including healthcare, schools, colleges and universities, residential schemes and offices and workplaces, with a genuine commitment to improving places and creating long-term value for clients and communities alike.

Our North West team guides projects through every stage of the journey, from early feasibility and planning through to delivery in live, operational environments. We thrive on complexity, finding the right balance between creative design ambition, buildability, cost certainty and regulatory compliance, however challenging the site, programme or stakeholder landscape.

Explore our shortlisted work

Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre, The University of Salford

Thrive is one of the UK’s first trauma-informed buildings, bringing together teaching, clinical practice and community services within a single setting.

What sets this building apart is that it is designed with the community, for the community. From the outset, the project was shaped through close collaboration with academics, clinicians, students, estates teams and community partners.

Their lived experience and professional insights helped us move beyond assumptions and established a shared set of values on safety, clarity and sensory comfort that guided the brief and influenced every design decision.

Learn more about applying trauma-informed design in practice in our academic white paper

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AHR University Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre Architecture Salford 01

Prioritising the wellbeing of staff, students and visitors

The Countess of Chester Hospital’s Women and Children’s Building

As England’s first building approved under the NHS Net Zero Building Standard, the Women and Children’s Building sets a new benchmark for sustainable, commercially responsible healthcare infrastructure.

Developed through close collaboration with the Trust, the project reimagines maternity and neonatal care whilst addressing national drivers around decarbonisation, operational resilience and workforce attraction.

Hear from our clients and team on the project’s impact below

Ellesmere Port Market

Creating a space for both the local community and visitors to enjoy, we are remodeling the existing Ellesmere Port market building. Its transformation will support the regeneration of the town, offering an improved shopping and leisure experience.

To cater for a diverse range of visitors and boost the economic growth in the town, the market will feature a main dining area and co-working space as well as space for business start-ups, market traders and a variety of events.

Learn more about how we’re revitalising the port town with a dynamic new market

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Creating a more enjoyable experience for visitors

Sustainability sits at the heart of everything we do

From carbon reduction and energy performance to health and wellbeing and social value, we take a holistic, evidence-led approach that translates research into real built outcomes that stand the test of time.

Above all, we’re a people-first practice. We invest in skills, mentoring and inclusive cultures, and this ethos flows directly into our client relationships, built on trust, open communication and a shared ambition to deliver places that truly work.

Discover more about our practice and values here

Frequently asked questions

: We have been shortlisted for Architectural Practice of the Year at the Insider North West Property Awards — a recognition of the role our Manchester studio has played in shaping the region's built environment over the past 40 years. Working across eleven sectors, including healthcare, education, residential and workplace design, our North West team combines creative ambition, technical rigour and a genuine commitment to delivering long-term value for clients and communities across the region.
: Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre is one of the UK's first trauma-informed buildings, located at the University of Salford. Designed with and for the community, the building brings together teaching, clinical practice and community services within a single setting. The design was shaped through close collaboration with academics, clinicians, students and community partners, whose lived experience and professional insights informed every decision — from spatial safety and sensory comfort to clarity of layout and navigation.
: The Women and Children's Building at the Countess of Chester Hospital is England's first building approved under the NHS Net Zero Building Standard, setting a new benchmark for sustainable, commercially responsible healthcare design. Developed in close collaboration with the Trust, the project reimagines maternity and neonatal care while directly addressing national priorities around decarbonisation, operational resilience and workforce attraction — demonstrating that clinical excellence and sustainability can be fully aligned.
: We are transforming Ellesmere Port's existing market building into a vibrant destination for both residents and visitors as part of the town's wider regeneration. The redesigned market will feature a main dining area, co-working space, facilities for business start-ups and market traders, and flexible event space. By creating a welcoming, inclusive environment that supports economic growth and local enterprise, the project aims to bring renewed energy and opportunity to the heart of the community.
: Sustainability is central to everything we do — from carbon reduction and energy performance to health and wellbeing and social value. Our evidence-led approach translates research into real built outcomes that stand the test of time, delivered across healthcare, education, residential and commercial sectors throughout the North West. As a people-first practice, we invest in our teams, champion inclusive cultures and build long-term client relationships grounded in trust, open communication and a shared commitment to creating places that genuinely work.