Gareth Bansor and Alex Flint, who are currently studying at The Liverpool University School of Architecture, UK, where shortlisted in the Architects for Health’s First Student Health Design Award (2007) for the following submission. For contact please email: alex_flint@btconnect.com
Microcosmic City, Paradise Street, Liverpool
Brief
Currently within liverpool’s city centre the paradise street development is nearing completion. The £950 million retail-led, mixed use scheme, which covers 42 acres is set to transfrom the city centre.
It will cause a shift in the city’s retail and commercial focus. presently church street serves as the primary retail focus, however its major retail outlets have already begun to re-locate to the paradise street development.
The paradise street development is billed as a regeneration project, however it has systematically stripped the existing fabric and legacy of its site. Furthermore its retail function serves only the city demographic with a disposable income. Yet the city as a whole has the worst long-term unemployed numbers in the country and amongst the worst for long-term ill and people with no recognised qualifications.
Thesis
The vacation of church street has provided an opportunity and a site to insert a new programme, a programme which is responsive to all its population and to the existing fabric that defines the city’s physical character.
The programme is a balanced response that accepts commercial pressures but strives for a public and civic presence that serves a returning city centre resident population, which resides within a new built environment that still maintains the cities existing physical character. In effect the programme becomes a microcosm of a city in equilibrium, which in turn is sustainable.
Particularly it facilitates the demographic of the city that requires help – they are accepted within a community,receive medical care and undergo a healing process remaining visible and work within this community which enables them to return to self sufficiency.
The Architects for Health
First Student Health Design Award
was sponsored by
