Strawberry Field Exhibition Centre

This project is situated on the iconic former site of the Salvation Army children’s home, the grounds of which were immortalised through John Lennon and the Beatles’ song, ‘Strawberry Field Forever’.

Appointed as Principal Designers, this project has involved the demolition of the existing 2/3 storey residential buildings along with single storey out-buildings, to make way for a new community hub and exhibition centre. The centre houses teaching facilities and includes state of the art immersive multimedia along with protected Beatles memorabilia. The core aim of this project was to continue the Salvation Army’s legacy of giving young people with learning disabilities in Liverpool the chance to succeed.

Liaising with the principal contractor, our role as Principal Designers included taking into consideration the continued occupation and operation of the surrounding areas during the project. Works were phased and programmed with this in mind, ensuring disruption to the residential roads serving domestic properties was kept at minimum.

Due to no Health & Safety files being available for the existing on-site buildings, a pre Health & Safety pack was produced by Playle & Partners LLP and the design team and issued to demolition team.

Safety elements within the design also needed to incorporate congregation of the general public at the entrance gates.

An underpinning component of this project, was to ensure that whilst fit for purpose the site pays homage to the Beatles retaining some character through intertwined cultural, spiritual and musical elements in a safe environmentally friendly way.

“Strawberry Field will weave together educational, cultural, heritage and spiritual exploration in one bold, imaginative site. It’s going to be a vibrant visitor experience, which we hope will inspire people today as much as the place inspired the young John Lennon.” 

Julius Wolff-Ingham, Fundraising and Marketing Director for The Salvation Army