Pick Everard 2025 Spotlight

Headquartered in Leicester since 1866, Pick Everard has proudly served clients across Leicestershire for over 150 years. We are a leading multi-disciplinary property, construction and infrastructure consultancy, delivering award‑winning design and advisory services across sectors including education, healthcare, commercial, blue light and local government.

In October 2024, Pick Everard joined the Artelia Group—one of Europe’s top 10 engineering and consultancy firms. While we continue to operate unchanged as a privately‑owned partnership, this strategic alignment significantly enhances our capabilities and deepens our international reach.

• Greater technical resources: Artelia’s global expertise and diverse specialisms now complement our strong local knowledge.
• Expanded innovation: Access to best‑practice tools, methods and collaborative networks from Artelia’s 10,000 strong workforce across 40+ countries
• Seamless partnership: Our Leicestershire clients continue to engage our trusted regional teams, with no change to contracts, delivery arrangements or framework access

This partnership enables us to offer a broader range of sustainable, digitally enabled, and technically advanced solutions—while retaining the personal service, agility and deep local understanding that our clients know and trust.

Pick Everard collaborated with Bowmer + Kirkland under the DfE’s MMC1 framework to deliver a purpose-built SEMH/SEND school for 64 pupils aged 5–16. Designed with inclusivity and wellbeing at its heart, the academy features dedicated ground- and first-floor primary and secondary classrooms, alongside specialist spaces such as a sensory "dark room", domestic‑style kitchen, library, calming room and a main hall with demountable stage.

Our architectural design emphasised Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) – utilising off‑site modular construction to reduce waste, improve precision and accelerate delivery. The fabric‑first approach enhances thermal performance and air-tightness, while MVHR, efficient boilers and LED lighting with daylight sensors optimise energy use. Rooftop photovoltaics provide a 10% renewable energy offset.

Pick Everard’s project delivery prioritised user-centred design, ensuring the environment supports staff and pupils’ emotional and educational needs. As Associate Joe West stated, “Creating an environment that is both functional and comfortable for pupils was central to the aims of the project”. The result is a vibrant, flexible learning space that promotes pride and inclusivity—opening in September 2024 to serve SEMH students close to home.

Following our previous work on HMP Five Wells, HMP Fosse Way marks the second of six new-build prisons forming part of the Ministry of Justice’s improved estate strategy. This Category C resettlement prison represents a key evolution in the standardised baseline design approach, with lessons learned from earlier schemes enabling refinement and acceleration of delivery.

The design places strong emphasis on prisoner wellbeing and rehabilitation. Abundant natural light, open spaces, and access to outdoor and recreational areas help support mental health and positive behaviour. Integrated education and vocational training facilities reflect a forward-thinking correctional philosophy, equipping individuals with the skills needed for reintegration into society.

The completed site comprises eight houseblocks and seven ancillary buildings, centred around a services hub that houses a gym, library, multi-faith facilities, classrooms, workshops and horticultural spaces. Operated by Serco, the prison’s rehabilitation model includes collaboration with local employers to provide practical, on-the-job training opportunities—delivering tangible pathways towards employment on release.

HMP Fosse Way sets a new standard for custodial environments in the UK, demonstrating how design and delivery innovation can positively influence offender outcomes and community reintegration.

Completed as part of Leicester City Council’s long-term investment in the Cultural Quarter, the transformation of St George Street has delivered a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly public realm with strong connections to Curve Theatre, Phoenix Art Centre, the St George’s Conservation Area and Leicester railway station.

The project reimagined a once car-dominated street into a greener, more sustainable and welcoming environment. New tree-lined avenues and extensive rain gardens enhance biodiversity and improve air quality, while forming a key part of the area’s sustainable urban drainage system.

The scheme responded directly to changing patterns of city centre use, particularly the long-term shift in footfall and working habits following the COVID-19 pandemic. A creative and collaborative design approach was essential to revitalise the street, encouraging more active travel and promoting healthier lifestyles through walking and cycling.

Now fully realised, St George Street acts as a catalyst for regeneration—supporting local culture, businesses and communities while aligning with Leicester’s wider sustainability and net zero ambitions.

Completed for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, the new Endoscopy Decontamination Unit at Glenfield Hospital provides a modern, high-capacity central processing facility to support essential diagnostic services across the region.

The 993m² facility includes a dedicated processing area, staff welfare spaces, trolley washrooms, storage rooms, chemical stores, offices and showers. Designed to accommodate a 50-strong team, the unit now processes up to 50,000 endoscopes annually—delivering improved service resilience and enhanced infection control.

Pick Everard provided full civil and structural engineering services from RIBA Stage 2 through to completion. The project’s location presented significant challenges, with the site tightly constrained by adjacent services and buildings. Close coordination with the contractor and stakeholders enabled practical design development and clear, collaborative planning for site logistics.

The building’s design and delivery have significantly upgraded endoscope handling and throughput while supporting a safer, more efficient working environment for clinical staff.

This project won the 2023 ProCon Leicestershire Award for Medium Non-Residential Scheme of the Year.