As part of a £1m investment by Sciontec Developments, a new entrance has been installed at Liverpool Science Park which includes a pop-up café. Tony McDonough reports
A new entrance has been created at Liverpool Science Park (LSP) as part of a £1m investment in the site by Sciontec Developments.
With the use of an exposed steel frame, a full height green wall and bespoke interactive lighting installation, the new entrance has been created directly on Mount Pleasant, facing the corner of Hope Street.
It includes a new industrial-themed breakout/lounge space, complete with pop-up café facility, large sliding doors leading out to a landscaped seating area piazza of Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral. Windows showcase the technology being used in the Manufacturing Technology Centre’s futuristic robotics lab.
This is the first major investment by Sciontec, a spin-out company of KQ Liverpool – a strategic and placemaking organisation which is overseeing a £2bn development programme in the city’s first Mayoral Development Zone.
Sciontec is owned by Liverpool City Council, Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool. In May 2020 it was announced that Bruntwood Sci-Tech was taking a 25% stake in the venture in a deal worth £12m.
Located at the heart of the Knowledge Quarter, LSP has remained open throughout the pandemic, enabling its customers to play their part in the city’s economic recovery. Its other facilities include a fitness suite, yoga and pilates classes and a whole host of meeting and events spaces.
Leanne Katsande, commercial manager at LSP, said: “We’re blown away with the quality and design of the new entrance and are delighted that we’ve been able to work with Land Coffee to create, what is in our eyes, the best pop-up coffee shop in Liverpool.
“Their brand and ethos fit perfectly with our own and has created the perfect environment for innovation, invention and creativity to thrive.”
The scheme, designed by K2 Architects, was completed by Braithwaite Fit Out and features an incredible light installation, which will use specialist interactive technology to demonstrate KQ Liverpool’s strengths in science, health, education, and culture.
Professor Dame Janet Beer, chair of Sciontec and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said: “The completion of the LSP entrance marks an exciting moment for the Sciontec partners and demonstrates our commitment to maintaining investment in our existing portfolio as well as new science and tech spaces.”