Client
Riverside Housing Association
Location
Birkenhead
Value
£2.3m
Date Completed
2000
Development Overview
The regeneration of Waterloo Buildings within the Hamilton Quarter of Birkenhead has generated a transformation of the existing fire damaged and derelict group of buildings. The stone building sits on a prominent site facing the River Mersey close to the historic and significant Hamilton Square.
The project was carried out for Riverside Housing and consisted of the creation of 39 no. new flats to the upper floors. The ground floor has been converted for office and commercial use.
The works involved very substantial structural repair and partial reconstruction including stonework repairs, restoration and cleaning to save the shell of the building, which was close to collapse. The building is a remnant of John Laird’s layout plan for Birkenhead, but it has been substantially altered over it’s life.
The creative design required a new separate residential entrance, which is located within the mews courtyard to the rear of the buildings. Original features, such as the original cast iron balconies which had been lost following bomb damage during the war, were replaced with exact replicas. The replacement of the original features has assisted with the restoration of the original appearance of the buildings.
The project received a Commendation for Best Example of a Refurbished Development in Wirral in the Merseyside Awards for Architecture and Urban Design 2000.
