Hester Architects - Hope Street
Project Details
Company - Hester Architects
Project - Hope Street, Liverpool
Technology - Volumetric
Sector - Residential
Project Overview
Hope Street stretches from the city's Roman Catholic cathedral, past the Anglican cathedral to Upper Parliament Street. It is one of Liverpool's official 'Great Streets' and it was also awarded 'The Great Street Award' in the 2012 Urbanism Awards. To the North of the street lies The University of Liverpool campus. On the junction of Myrtle Street and Hope Street, opposite the Royal Liverpool Philarmonic, lays the project site, a former church, radiology institute and car park which is within the Canning Street Quarter local conservation area. Given its location within the conservation area and surrounding listed buildings the scheme required the design of a number of façade features both to suit the existing precedent but also provide a modern and distinct building; these features include 2 storey connecting windows, projecting bay windows, curved and illuminated cladding panels etc.
All of these features were successfully adopted within the detailed façade design supported by the timber modules. The planning approval for the scheme also involved the relocation of a grade 2 listed statue of Hugh Stowell Brown, a 19th century social reformer, back to this site where he originally stood. The statue required 6 months of specialist renovation and now provides a local landmark at the entrance to the landscaped courtyard complete with new feature lighting. The internal landscaped courtyard required close attention to accessible design as it is open to the public and will be used a summer spill out from the Cafés and Restaurants to the ground floor
