The extensions add around 14,000 sq ft at the rear of the buildings. Credit: planning documents

University of Liverpool to refurb two buildings

The Derby and Hartley buildings are to be overhauled and extended in a major upgrade to house the School of Environmental Sciences.

The project reflects the university’s updated masterplan, which prioritises re-use of existing buildings; and also its desire to cluster earth sciences faculties together.

Architect Sheppard Robson and planner Stantec lead the professional team, supported by AA Projects, Assent, Booth King, BCA Landscapes, Cundall, Dunbar Boardman, Enzygo, Futureserv, Jensen Hughes, MAC, ORSA Projects and Rob Burns.

The university’s construction business is the main contractor.

Two extensions will be added to the currently vacant buildings, increasing the overall footprint by 13,777 sq ft. One will be a new six-storey circulation core extension linking the Derby building with the Derby annexe, while the Hartley’s extension will be two storeys with rooftop plant, also including a screened four-storey escape stair.

The planning application covers phase one of two in a project that will enable the relocation and consolidation of the SoES in the Brownlow Street area of the campus – the Nicholson and Herdman buildings will be refurbished in the next phase.

Along with offices and tutorial rooms, heavily serviced laboratories are proposed across the buildings, most notably in the Derby building and its annexe. A two-deck car park at the rear of the sire is proposed, comprising 64 spaces.

SoES facilities are currently based in the Roxby building, but will benefit from moving closer to the accommodation for related areas, such as the National Oceanography Centre, Sheppard Robson’s design & access statement said.

Although not listed, the Derby and Hartley buildings are packed with heritage features and sit in a conservation area, within the setting of Alfred Waterhouse’s grade two-listed Royal Infirmary.

In its planning statement, Stantec referred to the university’s 2019 masterplan and how the general principles of that have changed in the Covid-affected times since, with more of a focus now on optimising and rationalising existing properties.

Reducing the overall volume of parking and introducing trees to make the site a “Thousand Trees Campus” are also now priorities.

The proposals are now validated on Liverpool City Council’s planning portal, with the reference 22F/1959.

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Can`t the University arrange some kind of partnership with the Tate and purchase the Wellington Rooms ( ex Irish Centre) on Mount Pleasant which can be jointly run as a Gallery of some kind and educational hub, it`s a gem of a building, why does nobody want to take it on.

By Anonymous

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