“It is also an important asset for the north in terms of supporting the northern powerhouse narrative and reinforcing the need for a strong regional identity but with a national and international profile.

“For Broadway Malyan it has been a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate our genuine passion and commitment to design and a high quality built environment while also giving something back to the profession.”

Jane Duncan, RIBA President, said: “We are delighted to open RIBA North, a new national architecture centre for the UK, this summer. We are particularly proud to strengthen our cultural and creative offering in the north of England, and to enable many more people to explore and understand the enormous impact that architecture and design has on all our lives.

“At RIBA North, we have a building with museum conditions which will offer a magnificent opportunity to view RIBA’s world-renowned historic collections showing hundreds of years of the UK’s extraordinary architectural history.

“We are grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund which has provided a grant for the opening exhibition, enabling us to restore 30 Liverpool items from our collections, which will be on public display for the first time. RIBA North would also not be possible without the generous and ongoing support from Broadway Malyan."