Earlier this year, Nightingale Associates, a leading architectural practice specialising in health, education and science buildings, secured a contract to design the £5m Women’s International Centre for Economic Development (WICED), to be situated in Liverpool’s city centre. The project has now taken a significant step forward after Liverpool City Council approved the plans.

The 2,000 sq m centre is the first of its kind in the UK and will be located in the heart of Liverpool. Expected to help 3,000 women set up businesses, creating 4,500 new jobs over the next ten years, the planners congratulated Nightingale Associates on their design.

Kier North West have been appointed to head up the construction of the scheme that begins later this year. WICED, which will run as a social enterprise, will be housed in a £5.3m building in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle area.

Katy Heath, Nightingale Associates’ Liverpool Office Principal, said:

“We are delighted to be playing a part in creating a bespoke building that will have such a positive impact on so many women starting businesses; it is an exciting project to be working on, which also has a prestigious position in Liverpool’s city centre. With secured planning permission, we’re on schedule for construction to start in January.”

The new-build project, expected to reach completion in late 2010, will contain a range of offices, training & conference facilities and incubator space for new businesses. It is being jointly-funded by WICED, the North West Development Agency, Future Builders, Train 2000, Liverpool Vision, and Liverpool Council.

Train 2000 and WICED’ s Executive Director, Maggie O’Carroll said earlier this year:

“The Women’s International Centre for Economic Development (WICED) will be the hub of international research on female entrepreneurship as well as providing a range of enterprise support including space for up to 80 business units to help women start and grow their businesses. We wanted the building itself to be an iconic building and we awarded Nightingale the contract on the strength of its design team.” VIEW PROJECT PAGE