Our opportunity, as designers, is to learn how to handle the complexity, rather than shy away from it, and to realize that the big art of design is to make complicated things simple.
- Tim Parsey
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adio City is a national radio station based in Liverpool, owned by Bauer Radio as well as its sister stations Greatest Hits Radio, Radio City Talk. It was launched on 21 October 1974 and until today it continues to play pop and contemporary hit radio, broadcast to Merseyside, North West England, Cheshire and parts of North Wales. The original concept of the tower was to serve two functions – a restaurant and a ventilation shaft to disperse the fumes from the shopping precinct that surrounds the tower. The tower was designed by architects James A Roberts Associates from Birmingham. At 138 metres tall, it became Liverpool’s tallest building when built, edging ahead of the Liver Building.
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u s e u m o f L i v e r p o o l wa s t h e l a rge s t n ew ly - b u i l t n a t i o n a l m u s e u m i n t h e U K fo r m o r e t h a n 10 0 ye a r s . B e n e a t h i t s s t o n e c l a d d i n g i s a c o mp l e x s t e e l f r a m e w h i ch a l l ows l a rge c o l u m n - f r e e s p a c e s . T h i s i s p e r fe c t fo r c r e a t i n g f l e x i b l e d i s p l ays within the galleries. The museum’s frame is constructed with 2 ,10 0 t o n n e s o f s t e e l - e q u i v a l e n t t o 2 7 0 d o u b l e d e cke r b u s e s . T h e 1, 5 0 0 s q u a r e m e t r e s o f g l a z i n g o f fe r s t r i k i n g v i ews o f t h e c i t y, e s p e c i a l ly f r o m t h e 8 x 2 8 m e t r e s w i d e p i c t u r e w i n d ows a t e a ch e n d o f t h e b u i l d i n g .
A Sculptural Structure
The bulky dockside museum features huge projecting windows at either end, one facing towards the city centre and the other out across the River Mersey. Limestone panels surround the facade and are shaped as zig-zagging diamonds on the side elevations, creating the illusion that the building has been stretched. A staircase spirals up through an atrium at the heart of the museum, leading to three floors of galleries that exhibit social history and popular culture.
Liverpool Liverpool
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irmingham Museum & Art Gallery is an elegant Renaissance-style building by Ashley & Newman. The grade II listed city centre landmark building has over 40 galleries which explore art, social history, archaeology and ethnography. It is also located opposite the early nineteenth century neoclassical Town Hall building. The art spanning eight centuries, from Renaissance masterpieces through to P r e - R a p h a e l i t e favourites and stunning works by major modern British artists.
The structural design of the Selfridges Store won seven awards for the Future Systems architecture firm What is Birmingham without its iconic, famous landmark, the
Selfridges Department Store!!
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In sunlight it s h i m m e r s , ref lecting minute changes in weather conditions and taking on the colours, light and shapes of people and things passing by - an animate and breathing form. The building of Selfridges owes its inspiration and creation to Future Systems architects back in 2003. With four f loors and a retail area space of 110,000 square meters, the modern building of the £60 million is considered one of the most important structures ever built because of its unique architectural style called Blob Architecture or Blobi-t e c t u r e.
This term came into existence via the author William Safire in New York “Occasions” Magazine. In Safire’s attempt to characterize the exact form of amoeba-like buildings he invented this term. Despite Safire’s s p o n t a n e o u s i n v e n t i o n , architects and engineers have continued to use this terminology to d e s c r i b e precisely, these distinct, amoeba-like buildings.
BIRMINGHAM
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ouncil House, accompanied by the Town Hall is located in Victoria Square. the construction of the impressive grade II listed building began in 1874 and, along with the Town Hall, still stands to their original forms. The columns at the main entrance and corner echo those of the Town Hall, giving some sense of unity to the civic buildings, though the sheer streamlined dignity of the Town Hall still sets it far apart.
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kon Gallery was transformed from an old victorian school to create a stunning gallery w i t h i n a new urban quarter. Amongst the abandoned factories & warehouses in B r i n d l e y p l a c e , only one building of quality remained - grade II listed former Oozells Street School. It was in the 1990s, where it was occupying a small, found space within the city with ambition to expand in order to bring contemporary art to the masses. There was potential in the school’s building to provide culture to what was the largest mixed-use redevelopment project in the country.
Within the projecting corner depicted are the Council Chamber and Lord Mayor’s Parlour; within the main entrance is the impressive main staircase. Everything in the central bay is e x t r a o r d i n a r y , from the regal lions to surmounting the banister over the portico, to the panels of rich carving between the upper storey windows. The pediment on the dome designed by Thomason himself and executed by R. L. Boulton & Sons, shows Britannia with her arms outstretched to reward the Manufacturers of Birmingham with laurel wreaths.
T a n i a K o v a t s , artist, joined the team at an early stage with the purpose to influence the design and atmosphere, giving an artistic approach to ensure spaces suit the needs of contemporary artists. The building sits on a slate plinthmaking the gallery itself a work of art within the environment. All that remains was to restore the building back to its former gothic glory repairing, replacing damaged brick and stone work, demolishing ruined extensions. also, rebuildingthe damaged tower while creating a recognisable landmark for Brindleyplace.