One Park West
Encyclopedia
One Park West is a 17-storey building designed by world renowned architect César Pelli
in central Liverpool
, England
, United Kingdom
. Bordering Chavasse Park
, it is part of Liverpool One, a 42 acres (17 ha) £920m
redevelopment of Liverpool's city centre, the developer was the Duke of Westminster
's Grosvenor Group
. One Park West consists of 326 apartments, offices, restaurants, cafés and parking. Blocks B and A of One Park West are the 21st and 31st tallest buildings in Liverpool respectively.
Argentinian architect César Pelli – best known for designing Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
– and his team at Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects worked with the masterplan of the Paradise Project to create a design that fitted with the proposal for the rest of the site. One Park West is the first Pelli-designed building in the UK outside of London
.
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects team worked in partnership with Liverpool-based architects Brock Carmichael Architects to take the project through to planning. In their design justification for the site, both companies state the form of the new building was contextualised based on its setting, adjacent to Liverpool’s waterfront, a World Heritage Site
including the Three Graces
: the Royal Liver Building
, the Port of Liverpool Building
and the Cunard Building
. The Strand and Park Towers border The Strand and Chavasse Park
. The central tower rises the highest, forming the highest tower in Liverpool One. Its raking corner feature is designed to define the edge of the park.
The building is a concrete frame construction, clad in a modern clear and opaque glazed curtain wall
. This has expressed horizontal floor levels and raked and vertical mullion
s which allow recessed glazed sections, designed to give the elevation a texture that responds to the movement of the sun. The raked mullion reflects the tower corner feature and from first floor level repeats at each third storey to provide further elevation order and character
Laing O'Rourke
is the contractor working on One Park West.
Interior designers Kingston Shaw designed the two-bedroom show suite at One Park West, using a palette of colours selected to contrast with the building’s glass exterior. Contemporary artwork by local architect Trevor Skempton is also featured. Liverpool One's Sony Centre provided state of the art audio-visual equipment for the apartment, and offers One Park West residents an exclusive discount on their goods.
on Thursday 22 February 2007. Developer the Grosvenor Group celebrated One Park West's construction reaching its highest point with a topping-out ceremony on Thursday 7 February 2008. Members of the project team and the leader of Liverpool City Council
, Councillor Warren Bradley
, were offered an item to be placed in a time capsule which was embedded into the building. The objects placed inside the capsule included a first sketch of the building, a copy of the Liverpool Daily Post
from the day of the ceremony, a programme for Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture
in 2008 and a DVD about One Park West. The ceremony included four significant elements being added to the final concrete mix; Cains
beer, oil, water from the River Mersey
and a yew branch to promote fertility, liberty, and wisdom, and to ward off evil spirits.
The building was officially opened by Grosvenor's owner, the Duke of Westminster, on 18 December 2008.
for the title of the worst new building in the UK.
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
in central Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Bordering Chavasse Park
Chavasse Park
Chavasse park is an open space in the city centre of Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. It was named in commemoration of the Chavasse family; Francis and his twin sons Christopher Maude Chavasse , and Noel Godfrey Chavasse Chavasse park is an open space in the city centre of Liverpool, England,...
, it is part of Liverpool One, a 42 acres (17 ha) £920m
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
redevelopment of Liverpool's city centre, the developer was the Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
's Grosvenor Group
Grosvenor Group
Grosvenor is a privately owned property group with offices in 18 cities. It has four regional investment & development businesses in Britain & Ireland, the Americas, Australia and Asia Pacific; an international fund management business, which operates across these markets and in continental Europe;...
. One Park West consists of 326 apartments, offices, restaurants, cafés and parking. Blocks B and A of One Park West are the 21st and 31st tallest buildings in Liverpool respectively.
Architecture
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
– and his team at Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects worked with the masterplan of the Paradise Project to create a design that fitted with the proposal for the rest of the site. One Park West is the first Pelli-designed building in the UK outside of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects team worked in partnership with Liverpool-based architects Brock Carmichael Architects to take the project through to planning. In their design justification for the site, both companies state the form of the new building was contextualised based on its setting, adjacent to Liverpool’s waterfront, a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
including the Three Graces
The Three Graces
Antonio Canova’s statue The Three Graces is a Neoclassical sculpture, in marble, of the mythological three charites, daughters of Zeus – identified on some engravings of the statue as, from left to right, Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia - who were said to represent beauty, charm and joy...
: the Royal Liver Building
Royal Liver Building
The Royal Liver Building is a Grade I listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's Three Graces, which line the city's waterfront...
, the Port of Liverpool Building
Port of Liverpool Building
The Port of Liverpool Building , is a Grade II* listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Liver Building and Cunard Building is one of Liverpool's "Three Graces", which line the city's waterfront...
and the Cunard Building
Cunard Building
The Cunard Building is a Grade II* listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Liver Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's Three Graces, which line the city's waterfront...
. The Strand and Park Towers border The Strand and Chavasse Park
Chavasse Park
Chavasse park is an open space in the city centre of Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. It was named in commemoration of the Chavasse family; Francis and his twin sons Christopher Maude Chavasse , and Noel Godfrey Chavasse Chavasse park is an open space in the city centre of Liverpool, England,...
. The central tower rises the highest, forming the highest tower in Liverpool One. Its raking corner feature is designed to define the edge of the park.
The building is a concrete frame construction, clad in a modern clear and opaque glazed curtain wall
Curtain wall
A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep out the weather. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is...
. This has expressed horizontal floor levels and raked and vertical mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s which allow recessed glazed sections, designed to give the elevation a texture that responds to the movement of the sun. The raked mullion reflects the tower corner feature and from first floor level repeats at each third storey to provide further elevation order and character
Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978....
is the contractor working on One Park West.
Interior designers Kingston Shaw designed the two-bedroom show suite at One Park West, using a palette of colours selected to contrast with the building’s glass exterior. Contemporary artwork by local architect Trevor Skempton is also featured. Liverpool One's Sony Centre provided state of the art audio-visual equipment for the apartment, and offers One Park West residents an exclusive discount on their goods.
Launch
One Park West was launched at Tate LiverpoolTate Liverpool
Tate Liverpool is an art gallery and museum in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and part of Tate, along with Tate St Ives, Cornwall, Tate Britain, London, and Tate Modern, London. The museum was an initiative of the Merseyside Development Corporation...
on Thursday 22 February 2007. Developer the Grosvenor Group celebrated One Park West's construction reaching its highest point with a topping-out ceremony on Thursday 7 February 2008. Members of the project team and the leader of Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Joe Anderson.-Domain:...
, Councillor Warren Bradley
Warren Bradley (politician)
Warren Bradley is a British firefighter, politician and a former Liberal Democrat . He is a councillor for the Wavertree ward as well as the former Leader of Liverpool City Council, Before taking over as leader of the council from former Liverpool Liberal Democrats leader, Mike Storey, he was the...
, were offered an item to be placed in a time capsule which was embedded into the building. The objects placed inside the capsule included a first sketch of the building, a copy of the Liverpool Daily Post
Liverpool Daily Post
The Liverpool Daily Post is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Friday and is published in Merseyside, Cheshire, and North Wales editions, and is a morning paper...
from the day of the ceremony, a programme for Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
in 2008 and a DVD about One Park West. The ceremony included four significant elements being added to the final concrete mix; Cains
Cains Brewery
Cains is a brewery in Liverpool, England, founded in 1858 by Robert Cain. The company, with its 200 pub estate, merged with Peter Walker & Son in 1921, with the brewery operation being taken over by Higsons in 1923. Boddingtons of Manchester took over in 1985, and shut it down in 1990...
beer, oil, water from the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and a yew branch to promote fertility, liberty, and wisdom, and to ward off evil spirits.
The building was officially opened by Grosvenor's owner, the Duke of Westminster, on 18 December 2008.
Carbuncle Cup
In 2009 One Park West was nominated for the Carbuncle CupCarbuncle Cup
The Carbuncle Cup is an architecture prize, given annually by the magazine Building Design to "the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months". The award was based on an idea created by the Scottish architecture magazine Prospect, which has run the Carbuncle Awards since...
for the title of the worst new building in the UK.
External links
- One Park West homepage (requires flash-player)
- Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects homepage (requires flash-player)
- Carbuncle Cup