Northern Ireland-based contractor Henry Brothers Construction has successfully completed the transformation of a group of heritage buildings in Leicester into a modern workspace development.

Delivered for Leicester City Council, the £13.3 million project repurposes the former Pilot House site on King Street into a new 40,000sqft facility, now named Canopy.

Construction works included the careful refurbishment of existing council-owned factory buildings, retaining key heritage features such as exposed brickwork, timber beams and original parquet flooring. These were integrated with new-build elements, including a glazed roof over the central hub and a new entrance from King Street.

The completed development provides a mix of high-quality workspaces aimed at creative businesses, alongside shared meeting rooms, conference facilities, a co-working lounge, a reception area and an outdoor courtyard. The central hub will be accessible to the public, offering event and exhibition space as well as a café.

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Henry Brothers Construction acted as principal contractor on the project, with rg+p leading on architectural design and securing the initial tenancy for its Leicester studio. The design team also included structural engineers M-EC.

MD of Henry Brothers Construction Ian Taylor said: "We are incredibly proud to have delivered Canopy, which will breathe new life into this area of Leicester.

"The retention of important heritage features like parquet flooring, bricks and beams in the development has created a unique and inviting space for creative businesses, along with visitors who will use the café, meeting rooms, event spaces and conference facilities.

"This project strengthens our portfolio of work in Leicester, and it has been good to work with the city council and our construction partners to deliver such a wonderful scheme which offers such potential for the city."

Rob Woolston, rg+p’s director, added: "Our connection with the Pilot House buildings is well established, having won the original competition to design its redevelopment in 2022.

"Since then, we've worked closely with the city council to develop a design to bring this fascinating cluster of former factory buildings back into productive use while retaining their historic character.

"With the lease on our current studio ending, we quickly realised the space we were looking for was the one that we are incredibly proud to have helped to create. We're looking forward to making Canopy our new home when it opens.

"This will mark a significant step forward for our continued growth in Leicester, which has been our home for 45 years. Canopy is a great fit for our company and we're proud to become the anchor tenant."

Nine of the 25 available workspaces have already been let ahead of the scheduled autumn 2025 opening. The site is expected to support around 250 jobs and will be operated by the team behind the LCB Depot, Phoenix Square and Makers' Yard.

The redevelopment was supported by £8.6 million from the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund.