The story of RCP at The Spine

Back in 2015 when I was RCP president, I was musing about a fitting tribute to celebrate the upcoming 500-year anniversary. Engaging with members and fellows outside of London and making them feel valued was important to us: ‘What if we had a centre of excellence for RCP activity, including an education and PACES centre in the North of England?’ It felt like an idea that could gain traction.

Looking back, the decision to establish a permanent RCP presence in the North now feels particularly prescient. Long before there was widespread political momentum behind devolving power and decision-making beyond Westminster, we recognised the value of being closer to the communities, clinicians and health systems we serve across the whole country. 

We worked up an outline proposal to take to the Board of Trustees for their consideration. They liked the idea, and ‘RCP North’ was conceived.

Following an invitation to tender, we received three expressions of interest from across the north of England. Each city led a consortium bid to host RCP North and set out its vision. We then held a selection process, including an interview day to discuss proposals and feasibility, before Liverpool was chosen as the preferred partner.

The next step was to design the building. Liverpool City Council offered us a brownfield site (which had been a school), within its Knowledge Quarter development, where we were to be the anchor tenant. Together with Liverpool City Council, we launched a local architect competition, shortlisted our preferred designs and selected the proposal that eventually became The Spine: the local architectural practice AHR, led by architect Robert Hopkins.

The design appealed for its focus on health, wellbeing and sustainability, using body systems as a metaphor. The glass exterior was designed to resemble squamous epithelium, with ceramic shapes embedded to control the internal temperature. The unique Voronoi pattern echoes the geometric patterns of human skin, and trabecular columns mimic bone trabeculae, reflecting the use of glass technology by Sir Denis Lasdun in the RCP London building in the 1960s.

The staircase to the north of the Liverpool building resembles human vertebrae, giving ‘The Spine’ its name. The oak-lined interior includes plants to represent the lungs. Building works started in 2018, the year of the RCP’s quincentenary.

The next phase of the project was overseen by my successor as president, Sir Andrew Goddard, as I finished my term of office in 2018. The result is one of the healthiest workspaces in the UK, and one of the first to achieve the international WELL building standard.

The building opened in 2021, just as Covid was having a significant impact, so it was a difficult time for all of us in healthcare. In recognition of this, a portrait of Professor Donal O’Donoghue, the RCP registrar who tragically died of Covid in January 2021, hangs there.

RCP North was never simply about a building; it was about creating opportunities for wider participation, strengthening relationships with members and fellows, and ensuring that influence, expertise and agency were not concentrated in one place. By making a home in Liverpool, we were able to increase engagement across the North and beyond, reflecting our commitment to being a truly national college and benefiting from the medical insights, innovation and leadership that exist all over the country.

The Spine is now an integral part of the RCP, and an iconic building in the heart of the Knowledge Quarter in Liverpool. Eight years on, it remains an amazing building and has welcomed members, fellows and guests for conferences, events and exams. 

Professor Dame Jane Dacre
SPS chair