October 2021 saw the inaugural year for Liverpool Architecture Festival, who’s goal is to build bigger and better things. We look forward to LAF 2022 already!

Across the weeks of 04 – 15 October 2021 there were be a mixture of free events including; lectures, workshops, design charrettes, tours, and presentations, aiming to bring together and build upon our incredible architecture community in Liverpool. Architects presenting to architects, sharing information and experiences, which is hoped to result in a higher level of discourse and ultimately a better quality built environment for Liverpool.

As part of the series of events, we hosted a tour of Park Palace Ponies in Toxteth, as well as opened our doors to Students, Professionals and Architectural Enthusiasts alike as part of the ‘Open Studio’ series.

We were also invited to take part in the ‘Mind the Gap’ Design Charette, where we proposed an intervention for the triangular shaped segment of land at Earlestown Station, bound on all sides by the railway. The town developed during the industrial revolution with the advancement of the railways. Newton Junction, the world’s first railway junction, was opened as part of this.

The junction was renamed in 1837 as Earlestown in ‘honour’ of Sir Hardman Earle, who was chair of the railway board as well as a member of the Liverpool slave-trading dynasty. A man who received compensation for the people he had to free from his plantations upon the abolition of the slave trade. Those he had enslaved received nothing. Residential areas have grown around the junction, but rather than connecting to the town, the site disconnects it. Shortcuts through the station are unwieldy and inaccessible. Pathways feel dark, quiet and disconcerting. Platforms are isolated. This dense oasis of green sits between the platforms, fenced off.

Our proposal is a starting point for conversation rather, drawing on the historic references we found interesting, the positive things we found hidden around the site when you stopped and paused and giving thought to what we think would make a sustainable future for the site, town and community.

The birdsong, the community and the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress. We were strongly influenced by our recent work learning about slavery with the shortlisted team for NML waterfront competition – more on San Kofa Docks and this project on our website.