| Mann Island Buildings | |
|---|---|
 Mann Island in 2018 | |
 Interactive map of Mann Island Buildings | |
| General information | |
| Location | Mann Island,Liverpool,England,United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 53°24′14″N2°59′39″W / 53.4038°N 2.9943°W /53.4038; -2.9943 |
| Construction started | 2008 |
| Estimated completion | 2011 |
| Owner | Merseytravel |
| Height | |
| Roof | Building 3 52.9 m (174 ft)[1] Building 2 43.2 m (142 ft) Building 1 42.2 m (138 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 13, 13, 13 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Broadway Malyan |
| Developer | Countryside Properties, Neptune Developments |
| Services engineer | Cundall Johnston and Partners |
| Main contractor | BAM |
TheMann Island Buildings are a group of buildings inLiverpool,England.They comprise threeinternational style mixed use buildings onMann Island, which lies on the waterfront between thePort of Liverpool Building and theAlbert Dock. No.1 building is owned byMerseytravel although several floors are leased out to othercompanies[2]
Formerly rundown warehouses and dock buildings, the site directly between two of Liverpool's most historic buildings was heavily investigated before numerous proposals for new builds were submitted as part of a competition to create a 'Fourth Grace'. Three proposals were submitted, all of which received criticism for their appearance and contrast to the city's famed historic skyline.[3]
The work of Alsop Architects was chosen to become the 'Fourth Grace', however, it was beset with difficulties, and was cancelled in 2004 due to spiralling costs. It was only after all of these ideas were scrapped when the £120 million Mann Island Development was chosen to become the new complex to occupy the site.[4]
Construction of the buildings, which are similar in height to the nearby Port of Liverpool Building,Cunard Building andRoyal Liver Building began in 2008 during Liverpool's year asEuropean Capital of Culture (when regeneration within the city centre was at its peak). At the same time, work also began on a close neighbour to the Mann Island development - theMuseum of Liverpool (not to be confused withWorld Museum Liverpool). Although the buildings have different heights and usage, each consists of 13 storeys.[5] The Mann Island Buildings are home to 376 apartments (a mix of one, two and three bedroom), 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) of retail/leisure units, 114,000 sq ft (10,600 m2) of net office space and 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) of covered space.[5][6]
The three buildings are to the south of theMann Island roadway, opposite thePort of Liverpool Building, and are numbered (from east to west) No.1, No.11 and No.15 Mann Island.
No.15, next to theMuseum of Liverpool, is called theLatitude building and No.11 is theLongitude building. Connecting the two is a double-height glass atrium calledEquator House which often hostsRIBA architectural displays and launch events for theOpen Eye Gallery next-door. BothLatitude andLongitude are mixed commercial and residential spaces, with restaurants, cafés and galleries on the ground floor, and accommodation starting on the 2nd floor. There is a gap in the 1st floor, that was originally meant to be a mezzanine for the commercial spaces below, but this has now been adapted as private open plan office and co-working space.
Mann Island is home to the RIBA North gallery, opened in 2017.
No.1 Mann Island, next to the Strand, is occupied almost entirely by offices of the regional authority including the offices of theMayor of the Liverpool City Region,Merseytravel and theLiverpool City Region Combined Authority. Two levels of car-parking extend beneath theLatitude andLongitude buildings, which is shared between residents and Combined Authority staff.
Mann Island is home to the RIBA North gallery, opened in 2017.
Critical response to the development has been mixed.[7] Alistair Sutherland (designer ofPreston Crown Court and panel member ofLUDCAP) declared it "a positive contribution" to the waterfront, and "a complementary contrast" to its neighbours;[8] others have been more critical.[8] TheDaily Post in particular lamented the loss of several key views of the Pier head World Heritage Site.[9]
In 2012, it was nominated alongside theArcelorMittal Orbit andBelfast's Titanic museum for theCarbuncle Cup,[10] an architecture prize given annually by the magazineBuilding Design to "the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months."
In 2015 Mann Island scooped a RIBA North West award.
