An architect firm has designed a stunning ‘floating fan park’ for Nelson Dock next to Hill Dickinson Stadium and says it can be ‘installed in months’.
BACA Architects, which specialise in floating concepts, designed a floating fan park for Nelson Dock and presented it in Liverpool at the Waterfront Development Forum – and TheToffees.Online can reveal the images for the first time.
The plans include fan park style giant screens, indoor lounges, family spaces and even extra activities such as bowling. The plans include bars and restaurants for fans as well as tap rooms and could offer a space for some of the displaced developments in the King Edwards Triangle part of Liverpool, where the likes of Azvex Brewery will soon have to move to make way for skyscraper development.
BACA Architects Founder, Richard Coutts said: “At Bramley Moore Dock, we’re taking fan experiences to the next level -literally. We call it ‘Aquatecture’: a flotilla of floating spaces that make the most of the dock’s water. These floating spaces aren’t just cool – they’re clever. They can be built off-site, installed quickly, and be up and running in no time. Maybe in the water in less than a year! Solid, durable, and flexible, they can be updated, repurposed, or moved as needed; making sure the fun doesn’t stop and leaving a legacy for the club and the city.”
The fan park is just a concept at this stage and Coutts has not been in discussions with the club but it remains an interesting concept.
Everton are in negotiations with Peel Ports to buy the land at Nelson Dock according to director Colin Chong and news on the purchase is expected in the next few weeks or months according to the club’s timeline.
Nelson Dock is part of the £5.5bn Liverpool Waters redevelopment scheme that is bookended by Everton’s new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock to the north. The entire scheme has secured outline planning permission and Nelson Dock itself includes permission for a large new luxury hotel to the North East side, plus homes, bars and restaurants surrounding the dock.
Interestingly the planning also includes a floating area for watersports, something that could easily be converted into a floating fan park.
The Friedkin Group, who bought Everton earlier this year, is reportedly keen to secure the land to build projects that complement Everton’s new stadium and to provide more pedestrian access from the South end of the stadium.
Any development would be football-focused and would work alongside the existing 17,000-capacity fan plaza at Bramley Moore Dock. The fan plaza is set to host music and other festival events independent of events held in the stadium itself.
BACA are a multi-award winning ‘aquatecture’ firm with eye-catching floating leisure projects in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, and in Australia, where it has designed the stunning Australian Underwater Discovery Centre. The firm also specialises in floodproofing and flood resistent architecture.