Ian Simpson Architects has been selected as the winner of an international Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) design competition for a new complex for the National Wildflower Centre (NWC) in Knowsley, Liverpool.

The company is working with engineers Adams Kara Taylor and Hoare Lee on the project, which will see the construction of a new building incorporating education, conference and seed production facilities. Consultant Cyrial Sweett also supported the Ian Simpson Architects proposals, which fought off competition from five other shortlisted companies, including DM3 Architecture, Kirkland Fraser Moor, Nicolas Tye Architects, Studio Verna and Urban Salon Architects.

The new building will be situated on the north west boundary of the NWC site, and it is hoped that it will be one of the first in the country to be rated as outstanding under the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). Landlife chief executive, Grant Luscombe, said: "Inspired by the Fibonacci spirals that nature uses to place seeds on a seed head, petals on a flower and leaves on a stem, the building itself will help people understand connections between maths and nature.

"Entering the 'flower head' structure will be an inspirational experience by demonstrating how artists, architects and engineers over the centuries have used the simple angles and numerical sequences found in wildflower."