Well everything really. Architecture is neither a painting nor is it a visual art alone. It is visual but has to experienced to be appreciated. In short you have to be there.
Accepting that you can't be there yourself, I don't think it's on to offer categorical opinion based on pictures alone.
Even if it were, where are the other 'centres' that you have seen that are just like this? which one has a park? which is a series of streets? and all the other things that people have commented on and liked.
You have to feel sorry for all those who have spent their time trying to make a difference to Liverpool for some to dismiss it as ordinary on the basis of a 'few' pictures.
I can appreciate Manhattan's skyscrapers without visiting the place.
Liverpool One's park could justifiably be called a "roof garden", and one wonders if it would have been created if there hadn't already been a park on the previous site.
As for the streets.
Compare the present with an old map, and most of the old streets have been obliterated.
I bet everybody will get lost when the other side of Paradise Street opens in September.
Having said all that, I quite like it, if only because the buses now take me all the way into town, and Paradise Street is a short cut to the rest of town.
My only grumble is that, for north enders, it is a bit of hike over to it. Our busses put us off by the Royal Court, so it is quite a walk over from there.
The next nearer stop is to get off near the town hall and walk through.
Both ways as broad as they are long.
But when you go to Manhattan you find out what it's really like.
The 'park' was in fact a bit of grassed-over bomb site. These are the only lost streets and they were lost in the war. This is now a proper park and a real civic amenity. Actually I would have preferred it to be built up, replacing the lost streets, but imagine the howls of protest at the loss of 5 acres of prime wasteland!
The other side of Paradise Street has one new street - New Manesty's Lane - if people are lost, then they would have been lost before.
I think it's a great achievement after years of oppoprtunities to moan about 'broken promises' that's about to turn the whole city round (as well as make your bus journey easier)
I've been to manhatten, the only pleasent bit from my perspective is from a ferry, ellis island, the statue of liberty or from the top of a sky scraper. Walking around new york itself your constantly in shadows, bins and binbags line the roads as there are no real allyways or space for refuse. The only real option is to get the underground which is fantastic. Come night time you can't really see any of those spectacular buldings untill your standing practically right underneath them that and the rats come out to play. Having said that individually the buildings when either viewed from afar or from the top of a sky scraper are spectacular and the facilities like the met and the natural history museam and the South Street Seaport are second to none.
I guess in all its down to personal taste. I prefered Washinton DC to new york in terms of architecture mainly because i could appreciate the whole building from many angles not just. Having said that also, interms of a skyline new york is stunning but a sky-line and architecture is two completly different things in my opinion.
Manhattan is intimidating and maybe it's meant to be, to be 'impressive'. It's not Liverpool. A Liverpool Manhattan would be open and friendly at street level, reflecting the character of the population.
I don't think Wirral Waters or Liverpool Waters understand this... yet?
A skyline can be designed as one 'building' as much as it's individual buildings can be. Design controls are used in New York and other cities (Sydney) to deliberately design and sculpt the skyline.
For me, Liverpool needs both; a great skyline to express its ambition and international outlook and great, urban but friendly streets.
Hello strangers
Not posted on here for a while now (I was spending too long on the www and not enough on the "real world"!) but I thought I'd pop back to voice my opinion on Liverpool One after taking such a big interest in its construction.
I went there on the grand opening day and i was made up with it - 4 weeks later I still am, I'm no shopaholic by any means but I enoy a stroll round the "new" streets and stores at lunchtime. I've made good use of the massive staircase by John Lewis's to sit in the sunshine (when we have some), and I can't wait for the park to open in a few months.
Comparing South John St to Church St yes it's a helluva lot narrower, but somehow I don't see it as claustrophobic even with the bridges and escalators and staircases - it's narrow, but being on 2 levels (3 when the rest is open) it's not too crowded.
In the last few months of construction I was dubious about some of the architecture, seen from my work (police hq) some of the buildings looked a bit "simple", uninspiring, and angular-for-the-sake-of-it but now, up-close they look better.
All in all, I'm made up with it, big to all the designers, planners and builders (the ones still at work looked made up on opening day!)
BUT - my only let-down so far - what's with the new WH Smiths - it's tiny! Why shut the huge Church St one and move to a pokey, cramped little place!
Oh, and, it was me that put the link to YoLiverpool on the Wikipedia page
That's what I thought - thinking about it, I saw the Q Park logo sticking up above the rooftops from the Chavasse Park steps and thought it was the Hanover St one, but it may well be the Gradwell St one. I'll investigate further
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Thought I`d found a new street today but it was only the entrance to a children`s new play club under Cunard Buildings in Water St
THE BEST VITAMIN FOR MAKING FRIENDS ? B.1
My Flickr site: www.flickr.com/photos/exacta2a/
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http://www.liverpoolpsda.co.uk/Proje...ans/site22.htm
Sites 21 & 22
The corner of Hanover Street and Seel Street on the site of the former Seel Street multi-storey and ground level car parks, which are to be demolished.
URBAN FORM
Multi storey buildings restoring the buiding line of Hanover Street and presenting active frontages to Hanover Street and Seel Street. Of particular importance is the relationship with the adjacent listed public house and the way in which the Hanover Street/Seel Street corner terminates the vista from College Lane. The layout will encourage natural grade level linkages into Rope Walks towards Concert Square.
USES
All blocks accommodate retail/or catering use at ground level.
Site 22
Between Seel Street and Fleet Street.
URBAN FORM
A sequence of 4-5 storey buildings in keeping with the surrounding Rope Walks scale. Small scale courts utilise the fall across the site to create interesting level changes and define terraced areas linking Hanover Street with Concert Square.
USES
Principally bar/restaurant use at grade level linking with terraced areas in small courtyards. Residential and studio/office uses at high level.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
An entrance to the underground service area beneath site 21 to be incorporated.
MATERIALS
Suitable materials for the Rope Walks context as site 19.
Korova are now opening a bar/restaurant in Liverpool One,another good addition imo.
http://www.korova-liverpool.com/about.php
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