Tempest

New type of office development

The site is located in the Commercial Quarter, of the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile World Heritage Site (WHS) and within the Castle Street Conservation area. The proposal is for the refurbishment of the derelict Churchill House on Tithebarn Street for commercial office space.

In a city saturated with low cost, generic office space, the project sets to differentiate itself from its competition with intelligent refurbishment to create flexible office space with character, identity and personality.

The refurbishment of the neglected precast concrete clad Churchill House, of which many of this architype were built in the 70’s / early 80’s, is an important test bed for the reuse of this type. Unlike the refurbishment of more historic building types such as red brick mills / warehouses, buildings of this era require a more considered analysis, in order to identify the key positive elements of the original building, unlocking its potential and beautifying the ugly.

The scheme proposes the demolition of the unsightly overbearing crown to the top of the building and the insertion of bold, contemporary interventions at the core and entrance. This strategy also means the budget is spent where it makes the most impact and where people engage most with the building.

A light grey stain (Keim Paint) will be applied to the remaining existing (brown) precast concrete cladding panels to harmonise the building’s aesthetic and provide an understated backdrop to the new architectural, cost effective, elements. These will comprise of marine plywood panels, which are perforated with cast acrylic rods, that will form ‘light tunnels’ to the reception area. This will create a unique sensory experience both in and around the building and clearly differentiate the building from the generic glass box receptions seen on most other office refurbishments.

The £6m scheme will deliver 40,000 ft² of flexible office space unlike any other in the city.

The project was completed in summer 2015.