A project to revitalize Liverpool’s waterfront

Waterworks – Art for places, Liverpool
2-stage international design competition. Shortlisted and awarded
Client: Liverpool Biennial / Sefton Commission
Year: 2009-2010
Place: Liverpool (United Kingdom)
Design team: Bianchini & Lusiardi Associati. Consultants: Kevin Dowson (BMD architects, London) / ASC engineering, Milan.
Status: competition entry, developed design

The competition’s objective was the construction of a mobile recreational facility to be located on the Liverpool-Leeds Canal in Liverpool. The goal was to design an urban object capable of sparking the environmental and social redevelopment of selected neighborhoods along the canal.
The project we proposed is an amphibious system capable of adapting to different locations and offering users a space equipped for various recreational activities, from dining to sports.
It consists of four volumes with soft, compact shapes, made of aluminum and honeycomb polycarbonate, which can be connected and arranged in various ways on the ground. When necessary, the small pavilions can be loaded and transported on a barge along the canal. The material, which makes them lightweight and durable, also has interesting aesthetic qualities, making the containers bright and colorful, visible from afar even in the evening.
Energy self-sufficient, the pavilions are equipped with a photovoltaic system and a hydrogen fuel-cell generator.