Liverpool Fragments

During the May Blitz of 1941, nearly all of the buildings in Liverpool’s city center were damaged or destroyed. Much of the soul and sense of place of the city was destroyed with it; Notopia began. In order to bring back the lost original characters of Liverpool, this project uses ruins from the blitz to form a landscaped park and a memorial gallery.

During the May Blitz of 1941, nearly all of the buildings in Liverpool’s city center were damaged or destroyed. Much of the soul and sense of place of the city was destroyed with it; Notopia began. This project uses steel mesh to reconstruct ruins from the blitz, which was removed later by the city council but has profound architectural value, to form a landscaped park rich in history and metaphor. As people experience these ruins, they will not only become reacquainted with Liverpool's missing character but foresee the relevance of this lost past as the city moves forward. At the center of the landscape, a Blitz Memorial gallery asserts the past in a more literal way. Generated from the ruins of the old Custom House, the rhythm of the original building is retained in the new design. Ruins, seeped in memory and nostalgia, can both remind the public of the original character of Liverpool and create the physical spaces in which people may take time to remember. Thus, a new character for the city, with inextricable links to the past, may assert itself.