Vita Crosshall, Liverpool - Nearly There!

A year on since the Crosshall building was internally gutted, the building is now fully watertight.

Photo 1: shows the Crosshall Street front elevation fully cleaned and restored, with the external scaffolding now in the process of being dismantled.  The existing windows were fully restored.  The high level stone gable was fully recorded, documented, removed and then re-built, in consultation with Liverpool Planning Council Conservation Department.  The new mansard roof, to match existing with new roof lights, is also complete.  To the right hand side is the stair core of the Tinlings building.

 



Photo 1



Photo 2: Shows the rear Preston Street elevation, again fully cleaned and restored with the external scaffolding removed.  Original discussions early on in the design process, considered the demolition of the Preston Street gable.  However, working in conjunction with the Council, the design was worked such that this could be kept, showing a ‘true working elevation adapted over time’.  The top of the feature brick parapet, just above the 1878 building date, shows new vertical leadwork connecting the mansard roof, designed and constructed to line through with mansard roof of the front elevation.

 

 



Photo 2



Vita Crosshall, Liverpool - Steel Frame System

Here's a further update on the Vita project at Liverpool.

The photo below shows the right hand side of the Crosshall Building when viewed from Preston Street.  You will notice that the five storey party wall to the right hand side remains in position.  The crane is positioned in what will be the internal lightwell through the height of building, from the basement up to roof level.

The following photo shows the Steel Frame System (SFS) infill floor, the SFS walls in the foreground lying flat pre installation.  Once these are installed, the next floor level will then be installed on top of this.  The off-site manufactured en-suite pods will be dropped into each unit before the next floor goes on top.

The last photo shows the left hand side of the Crosshall Building when viewed from Preston Street.  The wall to the right hand side is the Chapel Building (see previous Blog posts).  The two specialist SFS workmen are erecting and guiding the SFS into position with the crane driver overhead.

Vital Crosshall, Liverpool... and now the hard work really starts!

The following photo shows how the internal demolition process has now finished removing all the floors from the Crosshall Building, leaving this impressive "shell".

 

Crosshall (left hand) when viewed from Crosshall Street looking back toward Preston Street

 Work can now commence at pace on converting this “shell” into a 158 unit VITA student accommodation!
 

Vita Crosshall, Liverpool - Next Phase

Three photos showing the internal demolition progress. The existing floor levels are systematically being removed and are now down to the second floor level.

The Crosshall Building was constructed in two distinct phases in 1878 and 1880 respectively, although the front Crosshall Street façade is homogenous, the rear of the building has a higher and a lower façade.

 

 

PHASE 1 - 1878:  Crosshall (left hand) when viewed from Crosshall Street looking back toward Preston Street, is a masonry arched framed building and a timber floor load bearing masonry.

 

 

PHASE 2 - 1880:  Crosshall (right hand) when viewed from Crosshall Street looking back toward Preston Street.   The right hand side is a cast iron framed structure with masonry arches.  There was also a glazed brick lightwell (see where all the timber is being dumped).

 

The rear Preston Street elevation - higher and lower façade.