Welcome Pavilion to create ‘new sense of arrival’ at Liverpool’s Albert Dock

Plans for a new Welcome Pavilion at Albert Dock have secured the greenlight from Liverpool City Council.

The building will serve as a welcome, information and event space, using multimedia platforms to showcase the history and heritage of the Dock complex.

Alongside the Welcome Pavilion, new multi-use public realm will create a stronger sense of arrival for visitors at the UNESCO World Heritage site.

The development is the first part of a wider masterplan for the Dock developed by landscape architects Planit-IE .

Albert Dock Liverpool chief exec Sue Grindrod said: “Delivering on our vision for a Welcome Pavilion in such an iconic location has pushed us to focus on the future needs of visitors to Albert Dock for years to come.

“We are thrilled that we can now break ground and realise the vision. I’m grateful for the support provided by the teams from Arup, K2 Architects, Planit-IE, Curtins, Steven A Hunt & Associates, Walker Sime, Jenny Douglas, and Rob Burns who have all worked together so brilliantly to deliver the planning, and I cannot wait to see it rise from the ground.”

K2 Architects director Mark Davies commented: “This building will be the first modern development to be built at Albert Dock in a long time and is a testament to the confidence and forward-thinking approach of the Dock leadership.

“The Welcome Pavilion underpins a new sense of arrival, and reinterpreting ways in which Albert Dock connects and articulates its unique heritage with future generations of visitors.”

He added: “We are not looking for a dwell time here, this is not a “shouty” building. It is deliberately pared down, but the attention is in the detail.”

Image: Photography by Paul McMullin, imagery/CGI by post

Paul Grover, associate director at Arup, said of the scheme: “When we started out on this project, we were all committed to delivering an award-winning project and I think we have remained true to that vision.

“The Welcome Pavilion will be a new icon on the waterfront. It will be a key linkage to bring people out from Liverpool ONE, down to the waterfront and linking back into Albert Dock to peek inside those incredible pavilions beyond.”

Work will start this autumn for completion next summer.