Shortlisted designs revealed for £11m Mersey landmark

Five up-and-coming UK architects have released their shortlisted designs for an £11m observatory at Liverpool Bay.

The plans for the Mersey Observatory are by Duggan Morris, Ellis Williams, Farrell and Clark, Phos Architects and Studio 8. They will be on display in a series of exhibitions in the city until the end of February.

The five were selected from an international field of 92. A winner will be chosen in March.

The completed design will be built overlooking Crosby beach, alongside the life-size “iron men” statues by artist Antony Gormley. The brief stipulates that the tower must be at least 30m high, have a viewing platform for up to 200 people, and house a cafe and educational facilities.

Phos’ church-like tower is topped by a glass beacon, Duggan Morris has come up with a lamp-shaped lighthouse with a 360° viewing platform, Ellis Williams’ pier-like structure stretches out nearly 100m over the sea, Farrell and Clark’s “Sky Pier” has a cantilevered glass walkway above the river and Studio 8’s design is a V-shaped structure with a suspended viewing platform over the Mersey.

Joe Morris, director of Duggan Morris Architects, said: “The setting is entirely unique both geographically and culturally. The challenge was to create something to complement the extraordinary setting as well having sufficient gravitas to act as a ‘beacon’ in its own right.”

The project is led by the Mersey Basin Campaign, and is backed by a consortium of Peel Holdings, regeneration body Mersey Waterfront and the North-west Regional Development Agency.