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Former Capital of Culture sees a reimagining using BDP plans
The Liverpool One development extends from the Dock Road (on the left) across the whole of the foreground linking the waterfront, business district, existing retail area and ropewalks area to the right. Liverpool ONE repairs and reconnects the city centre. It creates a framework for architecture, landscape and lighting design of the highest quality.
From day one the whole team demonstrated the desire to create a truly integrated project, one that entirely respected the scale and gain of the city centre whilst creating a major regeneration catalyst. Combining 42 acres, 22 sites, 35 individual buildings the project’s ambition of variety and ‘Buildings in the City’ has been achieved.
The Liverpool ONE project, alongside the city’s other major initiatives has presented a completely new face of Liverpool to locals and visitors alike. The success of Liverpool as European Capital of Culture in 2008 saw a remarkable influx of local, national and international visitors. The impact of the project is enormous and tangible.
The challenge to the BDP led masterplan team was to integrate some 2.5 million sq ft of accommodation with supporting infrastructure and parking into the heart of the city centre whilst maintaining a scale, footprint, massing and materiality sympathetic with the surrounding districts. At the heart of the project overlooking the World Heritage Site is a 2ha park which conceals some 2000 car parking spaces below. This has been achieved through innovative design, a layering of uses, subtle interplay of levels and a robust design framework in which over 25 teams have designed individual sites and buildings. As a result, activity within the adjacent high street has increased by nearly 25% whilst visitors to the Albert Dock and Waterfront are up by nearly 50%.
The project formally opened in October last year.
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