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BDP’s master plan for Liverpool One is the first of its kind to be nominated for a Stirling Prize
Winner of a Northwest RIBA award and nominated for a 2009 RIBA Stirling Prize, BDP’s master plan for Liverpool One, the new 42-acre retail district in the heart of Liverpool city centre, represents a break from tradition. Specifically, the project is the first master plan to be nominated for a Stirling Prize—a commendation usually reserved for renowned single buildings.
“Being responsible for the first ever master plan to make the Stirling Prize shortlist is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the vision, talent and skills of the entire BDP team,” says Terry Davenport, head of BDP’s northern retail team and the driving force behind the Liverpool One design and master plan.
According to the Stirling Committee, the master plan single-handedly reversed the fortunes of the city by bringing a new social and economic vibrancy to what was 42 acres of derelict but historic buildings clustered throughout its centre.
“BDP set down generous public space networks and rigorous yet flexible design briefs and have worked with a broad range of architects to evolve the plan and deliver buildings of a very high quality,” said representatives of the Stirling Committee in a prepared statement.
The 42 acre site itself consists of 1.4 millionft² of retail space, a 14-screen multiplex cinema and 230,000ft² of restaurants, cafes and bars in addition to 600 new apartments, two hotels, offices, a five-acre park and a transport interchange. BDP’s challenge was to seamlessly integrate all these features including linking nearly 40 new buildings designed by 20 different architects.
“The selection of Liverpool One demonstrates a shift towards architects and designers who see ‘placemaking’ as key to our urban development and culture. Liverpool One is a grand stitching exercise on a macro-scale, drawing together previously isolated elements of the city,” explains BDP chairman Tony McGuirk.
Another challenge was linking Liverpool One’s new boundaries with existing districts such as the bohemian Ropewalks area and the Mersey waterfront. BDP had to be context-friendly. Simply put, it had to ensure that the individual character of these areas was not compromised by Liverpool One’s 42 acre footprint.
“As someone who spent much of his time in Liverpool as a 1960s teenager I can testify that the central district felt like it was on the fringes of the city and not at the heart of it,” says McGuirk. “You could also sense that once majestic Albert Dock was slipping into decline.”
“That one project has been able to deliver sufficient critical mass to regenerate a city of such importance is the result of an outstanding client...design excellence and urban coherence,” read a statement from Grosvenor, developer of Liverpool One.
The project is also an exemplar of collaboration between teams used to competing with one another. These included a range of local and international architects in addition to several teams across BDP.
A particularly close association was formed between BDP and Pelli Clarke Pelli on the master planning, design and ultimate delivery of the 5 acre Chavasse Park. While BDP’s Executive Team was instrumental in the delivery, it worked closely with architects Allies and Morrison to complete 13B Liverpool One, the central component of the master plan.
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Liverpool One Architectural Teams
Allies and Morrison
Austin-Smith:Lord
BDP
CZWG Architects LLP
Dixon Jones
FAT
Glenn Howells Architects
Greig & Stephenson
Groupe 6 with BDP
Hawkins \ Brown
Haworth Tompkins
John McAslan + Partners
Leach Rhodes Walker
Marks Barfield Architects
Page \ Park
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Squire and Partners
Stephenson Bell
Studio Three
Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Executive Architects
BDP
Aedas
Brock Carmichael Architects
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