Wirral Waters Brownfield Project
Posted by John McAllister on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 @ 10:03 AM
Wirral Waters is an expansive Brownfield redevelopment project near Liverpool of an inland dock area that has fallen on hard times.
This project will take place in the East Float area of a docks complex called the Birkenhead Docks complex. The East Float area provides maritime services. The goal of Wirral Waters project is to create new city neighborhoods with their own role and identity, and a new city waterfront of international stature within the East Float neighborhood. This project is expected to induce the regeneration of the sites and communities surrounding the dock complex as well.
In details :
- £4.5-billion (U.S. $ 7.4-billion) project
- 1.4 million m² of mixed-use space (office, retail, hotel, conference facilities, various amenities)
- It is the largest project of the kind ever developed in the UK
- The project will be completed in 30 years
The main aspect of this project and the key of its success as well is the design team, which is composed of urban designers, engineers, architects, and others. They are going to follow the principles of sustainable design, which guide the whole project. Rainwater collection systems will be featured to conserve energy, and measures will be developed to conserve water and to recycle. The government of the UK recognized the ‘’national importance’’ of Wirral Waters and this project is eligible for government support.
To ensure the uniqueness of each of the quarters of the East Float neighborhood, they will be designed by different architecture firms.
Three waterfront spaces will also be created.
The project of Wirral Waters will also include extensive water frontage, a series of floating pontoons, and 2 structures of historical importance that will be preserved and renovated – a former grain warehouse complex converted into apartments and a hydraulic accumulation tower damaged during WWII.
As for the West Float Portion of the site, it will include a new international trade center, part of the Wirral Water development as well, with four buildings. It will be a center for 1,000 businesses all over the world and this will be the largest such facility in Europe.
The Wirral Waters project consists of a huge construction work and of mitigation work as well. The docks were bombed during WWII and there is a high level of industrial activity, thus there is a high probability of contaminants at the Site.
The Wirral Waters project also includes transportation improvements: multistory undergrounds and at-grade parking facilities will be designed. The strategy aims at emphasizing walking, cycling, buses and ferries. Roadways will also be constructed to regulate the speed of travel on the streets of Wirral Waters.
Information in this article is taken from July 2011, article ‘'Wirral Water Brownfield Project will be UK’s largest‘’ by Robert R. Leid, in Civil Engineering News.