The Fleming Centre, opening 2028 at St Mary's Hospital, is the world's first institution tackling antimicrobial resistance through science and public engagement.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is predicted to claim ten million lives annually across the globe by 2050, yet it remains largely invisible to the public. The ambition of the Fleming Centre is to change that. Opening in 2028 on the centenary of Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin at St Mary’s Hospital, it will be the world’s first institution dedicated to tackling AMR through scientific research combined with public engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Stanton Williams’ design begins with the radical transformation of the Bays: the only surviving canalside warehouses on Paddington Basin, dating from c.1850. The historic two-storey brick structure will be retained as a masonry plinth, preserving and restoring original warehouse doors, jib cranes and historic fabric. Rising above, a sculpted four-storey extension in profiled and perforated metal forms a distinctive new landmark, its veil opening at social and collaboration spaces to frame views across the Grand Union Canal.

The design is driven by legibility: making science visible to the public, and the public visible to scientists. Upper floors contain state-of-the-art laboratories, clinical facilities, collaborative ‘Social Street’ workspaces and convening spaces for scientists, clinicians, behavioural researchers and policymakers.

At ground and first floor levels, internal walls are removed to create the world’s first permanent exhibition dedicated to AMR, alongside a double-height canalside café and public workshop. Flexible and welcoming, these spaces seek to demystify research by placing science on show and encouraging public participation, dialogue and discovery.

User wellbeing is central to the design, with natural materials, enhanced daylight, views out and access to landscaped areas. Designed to NHS Net Zero Carbon Standard and targeting BREEAM Excellent, the Fleming Centre embodies both civic and scientific ambition, establishing a globally significant destination for research, education, advocacy and meaningful public engagement.