Liverpool Echo

A Liverpool university has announced the team of architects and engineers who will create a city centre campus around an abandoned Royal Mail sorting office. Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) wants to develop what it calls a "connected university village", with the ex-Royal Mail building at Copperas Hill at its heart. It has appointed Christal Management as project managers, working alongside architects BDP and lead architect Sue Emms. The Sweett Group will act as cost consultants, Curtins will be civil and structural engineers on the project and Arup will act as building services engineers. LJMU says the scheme would bring "a renewed sense of identity and belonging" to its collection of 37 buildings, including those in Byrom Street, Mount Pleasant and Clarence Street. The design team was appointed through a competitive tender process led by university Vice Chancellor Professor Nigel Weatherhill. He said: "This is an extremely important milestone in our journey towards creating our ambitions for the connected university village. "The Copperas Hill site is the catalyst that will help us to transform the spaces we occupy across the city and I am delighted that we have a professional design team who are not only exceptional in their ability but who each share our vision for creating a city campus that will become an exemplar on a worldwide scale." The design team will work alongside Mark Askem and Richard Pinnington of LJMU's estate management team. The Copperas Hill building, which is on a three and a half acre site adjacent to Lime Street Station, was purpose-built for the Royal Mail. It served as a sorting office from 1977 until it closed in October 2010, when the Royal Mail opted to move operations and 600 employees to Warrington. LJMU acquired the site in 2011 and announced plans to redevelop the site last year. It said Copperas Hill would be the "heart of the university" and provide a front door to the city's Knowledge Quarter. There are plans for upgraded highways and new open spaces and pedestrian ...