“The Bridge” Youth Centre & Stanhope Gallery
Two interconnected projects identified an area of Toxteth with unrealised potential. The master plan for Berkley Square saw the addition of a gallery/studio and a youth zone. There was opportunity to regenerate the area by focusing on developing community.
Toxteth has a very vibrant and vocal community, who have often used artistic methods to express their views and demand change. Therefore, the creation of Stanhope Gallery ignited an agenda to spread street murals around Toxteth, to establish the area as the street art capital of the North West. The gallery itself contains a courtyard, a route through to Berkley Street, in which anyone is invited to paint, creating an ever-changing street art gallery, a catalyst to propel the street art movement across the city. This will provide a platform for non-conventional, young or aspiring artists who may not otherwise have the opportunity to see their work on the walls of a gallery. The building itself sits well in its surroundings, with the addition of a zinc-clad sawtooth roof, which faces north to channel diffused light into the main gallery, an identifiable feature to give the building landmark status.
The adjacent youth centre was set back from its site boundary to create a new public plaza, engaging with the Greek Orthodox Church. This created a hub of activity in the middle of Berkley Street, which would be populated by seating, planting and a skate zone to attract young visitors. Placing this skate zone in a highly visible area will prevent crime and moves the noisy activity away from residential areas. The youth centre also benefits from a south-facing private garden ‘retreat’ to aid mental health.
“The Bridge” Youth Zone intends to unite the community and create a safe space for young people to socialise and learn new skills. In response to its context, the two blocks include a sports hall, opposite the Greek church, and a community hall/ café block that acts as a continuation of Upper Stanhope Street. At first-floor level, spaces were grouped by activity type, depending on whether they are creative or logical. The bridge creates a spine that will connect one block to the next. It spans the entire building from north to south, and cantilevers at the southern end to align with the approach from Emmerson Street. The bridge literally and metaphorically connects different types of activities and creates opportunities for young people to mingle and explore different interests.
The masterplan was completed with a public garden at the back of the church, which added to the green space and created new routes.
The new paving adds importance to the space and defines the boundaries of Berkley Square. The youth zone was given a wavy ribbon of paving to mark its boundary, while the original grey diamond paving was reintroduced beneath the gallery to appropriately mark the beginning and end of Berkley Street.
