schmidt hammer lassen architects has won an invited competition to design the maritime knowledge hub. the proposal is a 6,400-square-meter facility dedicated to marine engineering research and development, survival training, business incubation, workspace, and events at the heart of the wirral waters redevelopment project in the united kingdom‘s liverpool city region. the maritime knowledge hub will create a place for innovation, collaboration, learning, training, and business development in the maritime sectors, and will put liverpool and the UK on the marine and architectural industries’ global stage.


the proposal is a 6,400-square-meter facility dedicated to marine engineering research and development

 

 

the main themes that permeate danish architectural firm schmidt hammer lassen‘s winning design are the integration of green space, the use of raw and recycled materials, and the blending of the existing historic elements with the new high design building. the 19th century hydraulic tower will retain as much of its original character as possible and will house the maritime industries center’s work and meeting spaces, three pools including a hydrolab, a café and visitors’ portal, and an observatory that will provide views over wirral waters and the greater liverpool area. the new building will accommodate the bulk of the marine technology center, the offshore survival training center, and the marine simulation and training center, and will drive research and innovation by bringing education, employers and businesses together.


the maritime hub project is set at the heart of the wirral waters redevelopment project in liverpool

 

 

a wall of reused bricks visually linking past and future will surround the two buildings that make up the maritime knowledge hub. this will provide shelter for staff and visitors against the exposed conditions caused by the river mersey’s open waters and high winds. the wall will also create intimate outdoor spaces including three pocket gardens and an existing central courtyard that will be reimagined with thoughtful new details. the integration of green spaces will extend to roof terraces that can be used for meetings and events.

 

 

the composition of the old hydraulic tower is diverse in shape and richly ornamented. the new additions, which will appear as a series of glowing boxes at night, strive to achieve the opposite effect, serving as a subtle, simple contrast to the liverpool landmark. the interiors of schmidt hammer lassen architects’ buildings will feature open ceilings with visible trays and pipes and will consist of raw materials such as steel and concrete, serving the simple, low maintenance needs of offshore buildings.

apostolos costarangos I designboom
jun 01, 2018

    have something to add? share your thoughts in our comments section below.

    comments policy
    LOG IN
    designboom's comment policy guidelines
    generally speaking, if we publish something, it's because we're genuinely interested in the subject. we hope you'll share this interest and if you know even more about it, please share! our goal in the discussion threads is to have good conversation and we prefer constructive opinions. we and our readers have fun with entertaining ones. designboom welcomes alerts about typos, incorrect names, and the like.
    the correction is at the discretion of the post editor and may not happen immediately.

    what if you disagree with what we or another commenter has to say?
    let's hear it! but please understand that offensive, inappropriate, or just plain annoying comments may be deleted or shortened.

    - please do not make racist, sexist, anti-semitic, homophobic or otherwise offensive comments.
    - please don't personally insult the writers or your fellow commenters.
    - please avoid using offensive words, replacing a few letters with asterisks is not a valid workaround.
    - please don't include your website or e-mail address in your comments for the purpose of self-promotion.
    - please respect jury verdicts and do not discuss offensively on the competition results
    (there is only one fist prize, and designboom usually asks renown professionals to help us to promote talent.
    in addition to the awarded designs, we do feel that almost all deserve our attention, that is why we publish
    the best 100-200 entries too.)

    a link is allowed in comments as long as they add value in the form of information, images, humor, etc. (links to the front page of your personal blog or website are not okay). unwelcome links (to commercial products or services of others, offensive material etc. ) will be redacted. and, ... yes, spam gets banned. no, we do not post fake comments.

    forgot password

    (173 articles)

    (61 articles)

    PRODUCT LIBRARY

    a diverse digital database that acts as a valuable guide in gaining insight and information about a product directly from the manufacturer, and serves as a rich reference point in developing a project or scheme.

    architecture news

    hello wood festival 2018: international students collaborate to build seven cabin prototypes hello wood festival 2018: international students collaborate to build seven cabin prototypes
    aug 21, 2018

    hello wood festival 2018: international students collaborate to build seven cabin prototypes

    #architecture

    under the theme of cabin fever, the festival offers students the chance to gain practical experience to supplement the abstract, overwhelmingly theoretical »

    under the theme of cabin fever, the festival offers students the chance to gain practical experience to supplement the abstract, overwhelmingly theoretical classes they have at the university.

    #architecture

    all architecture news