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Through the Looking Glass

Part 1 Project 2021
James Langlois
 University of Liverpool | UK
Through the Looking Glass, a design for an Art Hub amongst the remains and grounds of St Luke’s Church in Liverpool, looks to continue and enhance the site’s recent reputation as a venue and home of creativity within the urban heart of the city. The scheme not only provides new facilities for creative expression but also aims to present to the public what many may see as the unapproachable and inaccessible creative process.

Many people experience art as the finalised form of a long process resulting in a disconnect between the artist, their art and the viewer. To deconstruct this barrier, the design intervention creates visual links between the public realm and spaces of creative production. This unique event will engage people’s desire of understanding the creation of art making at St Luke’s as an accessible hub for all. Through the process of reusing the ruins of the church, the design aims to carefully respect, enhance, exhibit and celebrate the heritage of this important local landmark throughout the intervention.

Tutor(s)
2021
Exploded worm’s eye axonometric, visualising how the intervention sits within the existing walls of the church and its gardens.
Longitudinal section, displaying the centre’s hall and café within the church, and the use of the original tower as vertical circulation to access the rooftop studio. The partially sunk workshop merges with the landscaping of the garden and relates to the
Ground floor plan. The scheme avoids obscuring views of the existing built heritage by designing within the church itself and utilising existing level changes in the gardens. The rhythm of glulam structure is dictated by the existing repeating bays of the
The facade of the workshop allows for a connection between the public realm and the creative production spaces while the green roof allows for the complete retention of the important public, urban green space.
The inverted bay system comprises a lightweight, curtain wall timber structure. The front elevation is supported through transoms and mullions aligned with the existing church window tracery. While the side panels are framed between the curtain wall facad
The hall represents the flexible centre of the arts hub with the ability to host a range of creative, educational and physical activities. The exposed nave wall gives a unique sense of context to the hall while the end elevation window frames the chancel
This model explores how the inverted bays influence the interior spaces within the intervention and frame the existing heritage features.
The visual market is an important part of the sustainable design strategy creating economic opportunity for artists and the arts hub while also reviving a currently underutilised street and further connecting the local community with the artists.
This image presents the impact of the intervention on the fifth elevation. The saw tooth studio roofing features striking copper cladding highlighting the roof form while referencing the common use of copper panels traditionally found within Gothic church
Exploded structural isometric. The primary structure comprises of regular glulam volumes with CLT panels when inside the church. The partially sunk workshop, however, uses a rammed earth base with glulam beams creating a curved roof form.
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