In close consultation with the Open Eye Gallery board and architect of the Mann Island development, Broadway Malyan, the scheme was developed to better suit the brief of the gallery and the wider regeneration strategy. The design was subject to considerable consultation with Liverpool City Council’s planning department to ensure that the gallery’s objectives were in alignment with the site masterplan. Whilst core design principles remained throughout the engagement process, the final proposals were subject to numerous refinements as a result of these discussions.
We recognised the need to make the gallery more accessible and public-facing, and with this in mind pushed the gallery spaces to the edges of the plot, moving the entrance to face the primary pedestrian route through the wider development to increase visibility and improve footfall bringing photographic arts to a wider audience.