Design Academy
Liverpool John Moores University submits planning application for new £23 million Design Academy
LJMU's Design Academy brings together disciplines in all forms of art and design that are currently scattered around various old buildings that can no longer cope with the demands placed upon them.
The new Design Academy will bring all of LJMU's art and design programmes together in a stimulating new space, enabling more creative forms of teaching and research and offering the local community a new public exhibition space and art gallery. It will also create a revitalised public open space around the Metropolitan Cathedral.
LJMU's Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael Brown said: ''The Design Academy is LJMU's most significant capital project, ever. It will be a high quality signature building reflecting the leading edge teaching and research LJMU undertakes in art and design. It is the physical embodiment of our aspirations for the new millennium and for Liverpool as European Capital of Culture.''
The development will also support the growth of the creative industries on Merseyside by providing increased access to specialist University expertise, applied research, training and development facilities and information resources. LJMU will also be able to provide more targeted support to entrepreneurial students and graduates enabling them to put their business ideas into practice. Such initiatives will encourage talented graduates to remain within the region, further boosting economic regeneration and growth.
Rick Mather Architects, one of the UK’s most influential architectural firms, was selected to design the new Academy in March 2005. Their plans, which are still subject to planning permission, reflect LJMU’s dream of developing state-of-the-art facilities that will advance the teaching of art and design while also reinforcing Liverpool’s status as a capital of culture.
Rick Mather said: “The development of the Design Academy will not only benefit the University and its students but it will bring a forgotten, disconnected area of Liverpool back into productive use for the city-wide community.”
The Design Academy is to be developed on a site adjacent to a major Liverpool landmark, the Metropolitan Cathedral. The site is currently occupied by the St Nicholas Centre, which houses LJMU’s Departments of Architecture, Product and Interior Design.
Given the sensitivity of the location, LJMU and Rick Mather Architects have been in close consultation with the Archdiocese, local residents and city council to ensure that the proposals integrate with the Cathedral precinct.
Martin Downie, Director of LJMU’s School of Art and Design, explained: “Though the Academy is designed to offer a visual compliment to the Cathedral, it will make a statement and have its own memorable identity. I have no doubt that in time that LJMU’s Design Academy will become a landmark in its own right.”
The Design Academy will form a new gateway, and bring greater cohesion to LJMU’s Mount Pleasant Campus, which includes the Faculty of Media, Arts and Social Science and the Aldham Robarts Learning Resource Centre.
Architect Gavin Miller described the proposed building design as having a ‘serpentine form’ that will bend and curve to reflect the shape of the site and ensure alignment with the Cathedral.
This sinuous design will also help to break down the Academy’s considerable floor space – over 10,000m2 – into compact, graceful blocks spread over a maximum of five levels. Artist’s studios and teaching spaces have been designed to be as flexible as possible, maximising light, space and energy efficiency for the benefit of students.
The main entrance, spanning two storeys, will draw students, staff and visitors into a central atrium, which will guide movement around the building. The extensive use of glass on the ground floor will flood the atrium with light and open up the Academy to viewers both inside and outside the building.
Gavin Miller explains: “The central atrium will be the social heart of the building, unifying and facilitating interaction between the Academy’s different departments and functions.”
Much of the ground floor will be dedicated to showcasing the Academy’s creative talent, through public galleries and exhibition spaces. It will also feature cafes and meeting rooms that will enable local communities and businesses to engage with the University.
The area surrounding the Academy will be landscaped creating a new public open space with its own sculpture park adjacent to the Metropolitan Cathedral. The Academy will also have a two-tiered roof terrace that will offer unparalleled views across the city.
Gavin Miller continued: “The Design Academy will bring a strong visual and physical cohesion to this under-developed site, creating new public routes and amenities. Whether you are sitting on the roof terrace, working in the studios or wandering through the sculpture park, this will be a space to enjoy and celebrate.”
Subject to planning permission, building work is expected to begin in 2006 and LJMU hopes to complete the new Design Academy by the summer of 2008 when Liverpool becomes European Capital of Culture.
The University is in the process of disposing of four of its existing buildings which currently primarily house the School of Art and Design: Hahneman Building (42 Hope Street), 68 Hope Street, 2 Blackburn Place and Josephine Butler House. LJMU has appointed CB Richard Ellis to market the buildings to potential development partners.
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Press enquiries: Shonagh Wilkie, 0151 231 3346, 07968 422 508, s.wilkie@livjm.ac.uk
