Title: | Liverpool John Moores University Copperas Hill campus, Liverpool, UK |
Markets: | Education |
Client: | Liverpool John Moores University |
Services: | Landscape architecture |
Region: | United Kingdom |
Status: | 2017 |
Team: | Gillespies | Sheppard Robson Architect |
Photography: | Gillespies | David Millington |
Located on the site of the former Royal Mail Sorting offices, Copperas Hill campus is a state-of-the-art campus that has transformed this forgotten area of Liverpool into a thriving student destination and an important gateway to Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter.
Situated at the entrance to the Knowledge Quarter and adjacent to Liverpool Lime Street Station, the new Liverpool John Moores University campus comprises the Student Life Building and the Sports Building, linked by a sweeping curved architectural façade.
The landscape and public realm respond to the architectural geometry of the buildings to provide a distinctive design that creates a unique identity for this major new development. The three thresholds into the new campus area are marked by distinctive paving and bespoke artwork benches to highlight the transition into the university estate. A continuous curved public pathway draws pedestrians into and across the campus, creating a new link from Lime Street station and LJMU City Campus to the Knowledge and Georgian quarters. A series of events spaces, strategically located across the site, allow for multiple events, performances and exhibitions. These spaces also respond to the building entrances from where the activity will naturally spread, providing multi-functional spaces to support student life. Break-out spaces are included in the form of open lawn areas and informal seating spaces where students can relax, meet friends and study in the open air.
High-quality granite paving in varying hues and sizes gives each character zone its own distinct blend of paving. Seating built into raised edges of planting areas and the terraced slope next to the café terrace encourages informal recreation and facilitates outdoor learning.
Planting is used to create shelter around the seating spaces with an emphasis on colour and scent aligned to the student year. Mature tree planting helps to provide a sense of scale within formal lawn areas and formal lines of trees echo the columnar form of the colonnade.
LJMU announced the opening of the new campus in September 2021.
""...Attractive public open spaces, benefitting the local community as well as students and staff.""
Liverpool John Moore's University