HLM Architects and King’s College London are proud to celebrate the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (LIHE) being named winner of the Health & Life Sciences Award at this year’s European Healthcare Design Awards.
London Institute for Healthcare Engineering named winner of the Health & Life Sciences Award at European Healthcare Design Awards 2025.
Situated within the historic St Thomas’ hospital campus, operated by Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London; LIHE is a landmark facility that redefines how research, education, and clinical care can converge to fast-track medical innovation. A transformative collaboration with King’s College London, LIHE has been recognised as a benchmark for modern design, sustainability, and interdisciplinary integration in the life sciences sector, earning recognition through a leading healthcare design award.
The judging panel praised the project’s collaborative delivery, commenting:
“It was clear how closely the project team had collaborated with Professor Sebastien Ourselin, Director of LIHE as sponsor to deliver on a vision that integrated the research and innovation ecosystem with the hospital’s clinical services.”
The vision for LIHE was driven by a desire to foster deep collaboration between academics, clinicians, industry, and researchers—accelerating the development of breakthrough treatments. At the heart of LIHE’s vision is the “Research Eco-system” – a concept realised through highly adaptable spaces, flexible floorplates, and advanced facilities. The transparent façade, featuring a striking helix staircase, not only offers visual connection to the building’s interior but also reflects the collaborative ethos at the centre of its design. Internally, spaces can be seamlessly reconfigured to support both open-plan teamwork and individual research, thanks to demountable partitions and flat-slab construction which allow for effortless adaptation, qualities that contributed to this notable healthcare design award recognition.
Nick O’Donnell, Director of Estates & Facilities at King’s College London, said:
“The successful delivery of LIHE is a major achievement for the University and our partners. It realises a vision of integrated innovation that supports the future of healthcare delivery, and we are delighted this has been recognised at the European Healthcare Design Awards. This healthcare design award is a reflection of the collaborative effort and expertise that has gone into the project from conception through to completion.”
LIHE’s design is deeply rooted in its context, with a material palette and architectural response that respects and complements the surrounding Grade I & II listed buildings. The challenge of creating a state-of-the-art research hub within such a historic setting was met with a careful blend of contemporary form and contextual sensitivity, resulting in a building that is as innovative as it is respectful of its environment—an approach worthy of a leading healthcare design award.
Professor Sebastien Ourselin, FREng FMedSci, Director of the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering and project sponsor, added:
“From the outset, LIHE was conceived as a place where barriers between disciplines, organisations and sectors could be broken down to accelerate health innovation. I’m immensely proud of the team and partners who have helped bring this vision into reality. This award highlights what is possible when we design spaces that support collaboration, creativity and translational impact.”
Sustainability was a guiding principle throughout. LIHE is now King’s College London’s most sustainable building to date. It boasts a BREEAM Excellent rating, EPC A certification, and a 35% reduction in regulated carbon emissions—surpassing the London Plan net-zero targets. With integrated photovoltaic panels, air source heat pumps, and circular design principles, the facility is built to evolve with future healthcare challenges.
Russell Whitby, Technical Director at HLM Architects, commented:
“This award is testament to what can be achieved through truly collaborative working. Designing LIHE was an incredible opportunity to push the boundaries of what a healthcare and research environment can be—contextually sensitive, adaptable, and sustainable. We’re proud to see it recognised by the European Healthcare Design Awards and as a standout healthcare design award achievement. Congratulations to everyone who was involved in delivering LIHE.”
This fantastic achievement comes at a fitting moment, as we alongside King’s College London prepare to host a guided tour of LIHE on Day 4 of the European Healthcare Design Conference. The tour will offer attendees an in-depth look at the building’s pioneering features and the collaborative process that brought this award-winning project to life.
