Dec 7 2005
Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) has been granted planning permission to develop a new £23.5 million Academy for its 180 year old School of Art and Design.
The sculptural building, designed by the award-winning architect Rick Mather, is scheduled to open in 2008 when Liverpool is European Capital of Culture. The development will ensure that LJMU, future generations of students and the city continue to play an influential role in the creative arts in the decades to come.
On hearing the decision, LJMU’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Brown, said: “I am absolutely delighted. This development is more than just another academic building. It will be a catalyst for new creative adventures, for innovative thinking 365 days a year.”
The plans developed by Rick Mather Architects reflect the University’s ambition to develop state-of-the-art facilities unrivalled anywhere in the UK that will advance teaching, business support and research on art and design while also reinforcing Liverpool’s international status as a capital of culture.
The new Art and Design Academy is LJMU’s most significant capital project to date. It also marks an exciting stage in the 180 year history of the University’s illustrious School of Art and Design, founded in 1825 as the Liverpool Mechanics School of Arts. Its development will enable LJMU to relocate the School, currently distributed across four different locations, to one purpose-built facility.
The Academy will be a signature building developed on a prestige location next to the Metropolitan Cathedral. Though designed to offer a visual complement to the Cathedral, the building will have its own memorable identity. Its serpentine form will align primarily with the Cathedral creating a new landscaped open space.
Its considerable floor space – 10,350m2 – is distributed over five floors, with the upper storeys set back to create tiered roof terraces offering outstanding views across the city. Much of the lower ground and ground floors will be dedicated to commercial and public facilities, including a café, a suite of design workshops, meeting rooms, and a gallery, exhibition and conference area.
The building’s sculptural form is emphasised by the splayed blade-like windows, which maximise natural light from the north while the solid walls offer shade from strong, direct sunlight during midday hours.
The extensive use of glass will flood the Academy with light, opening it up to viewers both inside and outside the building. The main entrance, spanning two storeys, will draw students, staff and visitors into a central atrium, the social heart of the building. This space will maximise interaction between the different academic departments and public facilities. A dramatic staircase will connect the upper and lower levels.
LJMU’s commitment to sustainability is reflected in the use of renewable energy technologies, such as a biomass heating system, within the building.
Artists’ studios and learning spaces over five floors have been designed to be as flexible as possible, maximising light, space and energy efficiency and offering wireless access to computing technology throughout.
http://www.livjm.ac.uk