Grove Place
Liverpool
In 2019 Metropolitan Workshop and shedkm won an invited competition of 8 selected architects for ideas to regenerate an existing housing estate near Liverpool University, which links the city’s Georgian and Knowledge Quarters. The Grove Place project secures the long-term future of the existing communities and provides new multi-tenure housing in 6 new buildings with high quality streets and open spaces.
A planning application for 305 new homes and commercial space was submitted in March 2021. Consultation with Resident Design Champions representing the 7 existing buildings informed the design – particularly their support for retaining as many trees as possible, the importance of community and private gardens.
We initially studied lightweight modular rooftop accommodation as roof top extensions to the existing 3 storey apartment blocks. However, full new build was selected as the condition of the existing foundations, poor ground conditions and longer term disruption to residents were seen as insurmountable challenges.
The area between Vine Street and Grove Street provides courtyard living and creates a new public space called Grove Square Gardens around 4 existing trees. On the south of the central park shedkm have designed a lower courtyard block with a staggered terrace of townhouses facing south onto Falkner Street. The eastern side of Grove Street is designed by shedkm as 2 pairs of villas stepping around a landscape of existing trees.
The proposed redevelopment of the Grove Street estate creates a regenerated, walkable neighbourhood better connected to the surrounding context. Vine Street is extended southwards to Falkner Street to reinstate the historic street pattern by the creation of a cycleway and small infill building. Falkner Street was blocked to traffic and pedestrians in the 1990s. This important historic road into the city centre will be re-opened to pedestrians and cyclists. Metropolitan Workshop’s terrace of 16 3 storey houses with rear gardens extend along the south side of the Falkner Street and are inspired by the local Georgian architecture.
Team: shedKM (Plot Architect) / Markahms (Quantity Surveyor) / Futureserv (M&E) / Sutcliffe (Structure & Civil)
Status: RIBA Stage 3
"‘These proposals are the result of a collaborative process between residents, the client and the design team. As well as providing new, high quality homes the scheme plays an important part on a city scale by stitching together the historic Georgian street pattern and the expanding Knowledge Quarter.’"
