National Museums Liverpool (NML) announced plans to continue its development of the area around the docks, including the expansion of the International Slavery Museum, in January 2021.
The design team will transform part of the site into a leisure and cultural destination, and the competition will be managed by Colander Associates on behalf of NML.
The competition will receive funding of £120,000 from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The project covers the area between the Royal Albert Dock and Mann Island.
The design team will create pedestrian links to the Canning Dock and repurpose various buildings in the area. These include the Cooperage, Mermaid House and Pilotage Building.
Design team to transform part of site
NML is already working with architects MICA and local company Harrison Stringfellow on a feasibility study into potentially rejuvenating these buildings, which also include Piermaster’s House and Great Western Railway Building.
Laura Pye, director of NML, said: “This is the really fun and exciting part of our waterfront project, and I look forward to seeing how it all develops.
“The Canning Dock is a hugely important public space with great potential, and it is so important that we deliver the needs of existing and new communities – offering people a space where they can gather to laugh, learn, play, and relax.”
In addition, design teams who enter the two-stage competition will need to show their commitment to ethnic diversity. The competition is open to national and international teams, including architects, landscapers and engineers.
Applicants should submit EOI
“We couldn’t be more pleased to be invited to support NML with their international competition for this stunning, UNESCO World Heritage site on the waterfront in Liverpool,” said Colander Associates.
“We are looking for design leadership, collaboration and the interdisciplinary skills that will enable design ideas to flourish, and eagerly look forward to seeing what the competitors come up with.”
The competition will be judged by a panel of industry experts, to be confirmed soon. Applicants are invited to submit their initial expressions of interest (EOI) by April 23.
Images: NML
