Designed to create a mix of cluster rooms and studios along with ground floor retail, the new student accommodation will be a 241-bed student development, according to the plan.
Located at the junction of Duke Street, Nelson Street and Berry Street within the Duke Street Conservation Area, the new development will be close to the Anglican Cathedral. The site consists of four-storied white stuccoed frontage building facing Nelson Street, with a return on Duke Street, and the larger steel-framed brick warehouse building to the rear.
Built in two stages, pre- and post-WW2, the building varies in height from four to six stories. To the south west of the 1859 building and within the site boundary, a pair of dilapidated one- and two-storey structures complete the existing buildings.
By retaining the oldest facades and roofscape, the new student accommodation has been designed with the premise of keeping as much of the existing structure and fabric as possible while incorporating new uses to make the accommodation a visible one.
The new buildings will also feature a void through the centre, which will allow sufficient penetration of natural light. A full height entrance space would be built that is animated by new circulation, lifts, staircases and bridges.
Upon completion, the new scheme will open up a lost link to Cummings Street, connecting Chinatown to the East Village complex, the wider Ropewalks area and Liverpool One.
Designed to provide full accessibility to all areas of the building, the student accommodation within the existing building will provide an inclusive development. The existing buildings will have a complex circulation system with many staircases accessing multiple levels.
One of the primary challenges for successfully reusing the building is to introduce a new circulation system that reconciles these levels and is clear to all users of the building. An outcome of the planning submission is expected in April 2013.
