Bold opening: A transformative leap for Liverpool’s architecture scene is finally taking shape, with the first glimpses of the city’s new School of Architecture now visible and ready to inspire future designers.
The nearly finished project combines a roughly 3,000 square meter, three-story new extension built on a former car park with a thoughtful remodel of the school’s existing facilities. While this new structure rises, work continues on upgrading the linked Leverhulme Building—originally designed by Charles Reilly in the 1930s and later revitalized in the 1980s by King and McAllister—as well as the adjacent Georgian terrace, knitting old and new into a cohesive campus experience.
O’Donnell + Tuomey earned unanimous selection for the scheme in 2019 after a rigorous two-stage process that included input from undergraduates, postgraduates, staff, and the estates department. The judging panel was chaired by architecture critic Kenneth Frampton and also featured Tate director Maria Balshaw and the late architect Michael Wilford. The Irish firm stood out from a longlist of 18, advancing six finalists on the day of judging. Competing firms included 6a Architects, Eric Parry Architects, Carmody Groarke, Haworth Tompkins, and Grafton Architects (also based in Dublin).
Marco Iuliano, a teacher at the school who conceived and directed the original competition, called the building’s opening a ‘major milestone.’ He spoke to the Architect’s Journal, noting the tension in contemporary architecture among forces like standardization, procurement, and budget constraints. He praised the university’s steady leadership and O’Donnell + Tuomey’s generosity and resilience in delivering a project of exceptional architectural quality—an achievement aligned with the competition’s ambitions.
A standout aspect of the project is the involvement of students and staff from the outset. Iuliano emphasized that the educational dimension has been a central pillar of the entire endeavor: the extension doubles as a living workshop, housing overlapping studios, exhibition and teaching spaces, offices, and a café. Liverpool City Council approved the extension in 2022, marking a key milestone in the project’s progress.
Looking ahead, the AJ Small Projects 2026 Award will take place at the new architecture school at the end of April, marking the public unveiling of the extension. The Architectural Journal plans to share more details as the event approaches.
Thought-provoking note: This project invites debate about how academic architecture spaces should balance heritage conservation with bold, contemporary design. Does prioritizing educational integration and public engagement justify the scale and prominence of a new build on a historic site? How might this influence future campus redevelopment projects in other cities?
