Castleforge press ahead with Albert Dock office refurb
Castleforge Partners is set to refurbish the Edward Pavilion in Liverpool’s Albert Dock to provide 70,000 sq ft of grade A-standard offices, including coworking space.
The building owner has drafted in architect Aedas to design the revamp of the Victorian warehouse, after purchasing the long leasehold on building at the end of last year from previous tenants Hampson Hughes Solicitors.
Malcolm Hollis as been chosen to project manage the refurbishment.
According to Castleforge, the refurbishment will be sympathetic to the building’s grade one-listed status, “to create a truly unique working environment at Liverpool’s Albert Dock”.
The offices will include coworking space with amenities including café and lounge, meeting rooms, private phone booths.
Edward Pavilion is situated in the centre of Liverpool’s Unesco World Heritage Site, listed for its special architectural and historic interest.
The Edward Pavilion refurbishment comes as the availability of office space in Liverpool city centre dropped to its lowest level for two decades in 2018, with only 600,000 sq ft of vacant space available compared to 2.5 million sq ft in 2015. The last new-build office to be completed in the city was at St Paul’s Square in 2011.
Rachael Pittaway from Castleforge Partners said: “We will be delivering a scheme that makes the most of the building’s beautiful original features and emphasises its industrial origins.
“In addition, the space will be specified to a high standard including air-conditioning and raised floors, which we are hoping will appeal to creative and corporate occupiers.”
Mark Worthington of retained agents Worthington Owen said: “Edward Pavilion will offer a world-class location which we feel will be attractive to a broad range of occupiers seeking forward thinking space. The delivery of this scheme is also timely given the availability of space in the city centre.”
The refurbishment is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Great to see companies like this choosing to invest in Liverpool and in particular the Albert Dock which is a perfect home for the City’s creative industries and much more credible than the whole 10 Streets scheme. Hats off to Castleforge for having the vision.
By John