Waterfront view of illuminated historic brick buildings and modern structures at dusk in Liverpool.

Liverpool Waterfront

The UK’s first waterspace strategy for the historic docks

Liverpool, United Kingdom | Masterplan | Waterspace | World Heritage

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People watching and photographing a nighttime water fountain projection of a sailing ship in a city harbor.

“Celebrating Liverpool’s identity as a city built on water.”

01Project facts

Location

Liverpool, UK

Client

Canal & Rivers Trust, Liverpool Vision

Scale

50ha (37ha on water)

Constraints

UNESCO World Heritage Site, UK's largest collection of Grade II Listed Buildings, 25 different stakeholder interests

Scope of Works

UK's first adopted waterspace plan, strategic masterplan and planning guidance.

World map with a pinpoint marker highlighting the United Kingdom.

Group of people standing indoors in front of a display board with maps and plans in a glass-covered urban area.

Illuminated 3D architectural model of a coastal cityscape with blue water and transparent buildings inside a display table.

Colorful illustrated aerial view of a waterfront cityscape with orange spheres, boats, fireworks, and landmarks in blue water surrounded by buildings.

02Background

As a dynamic and agile practice, backed with internationally recognised research, we were commissioned by British Waterways to develop the UK’s first waterspace planning framework for the historic Liverpool Docks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our research-led approach shaped the Waterspace Strategy, rooted in the city's maritime legacy.

The strategy aims to revive and reimagine the 250-year-old docks as a dynamic destination for residents and visitors alike through sustainable waterfront development.

Celebrating Liverpool's identity as a city built on water, while creating a blueprint for sustainable waterfront regeneration applicable to dock networks worldwide.

Map of Liverpool waterfront docks with a color-coded 10-year waterspace strategy showing zones for maritime, leisure boats, mixed use, retail, events, and watersports.

Aerial view of a coastal industrial and marina area with docks, buildings, and a ship in the water.

Collage of architectural planning documents including land use guidelines, site maps with color-coded zones, waterway plans, and handwritten notes.

03Process

Covering more than 50 hectares, including 37 hectares of open water, the Liverpool South Docks plan created three distinct zones: a cultural waterfront for events and festivals, a mixed-use zone with a floating water park and floating homes, and a leisure and aquatic zone featuring a new marina and pedestrian bridge.

Our approach was collaborative, research-driven, and pioneering. Over 20 key stakeholders, including the Canal & River Trust, Liverpool Vision, and the City Council, were engaged throughout an 18-month consultation process.

This dialogue ensured that the strategy balanced cultural heritage, environmental resilience, and economic opportunity. Unlike traditional regeneration frameworks, the Waterspace Strategy was conceived as a masterplan on water, focusing not only on land-based redevelopment but on the use and design of water itself.

The strategy explored how floating architecture, public spaces and water-based infrastructure can coexist with heritage buildings to create a living, resilient waterfront.

Architectural 3D rendering of a waterfront area with docks, boats, buildings, and pedestrian paths.

3D architectural concept of a waterfront development with floating platforms, green spaces, trees, and modern buildings along a harbor.

Architectural sketch of Liverpool waterfront with ships docked and highlighted structures including a large frame labeled 'LIVERPOOL.'

Illustration of a lively riverside promenade with people walking, sitting, and fishing, modern buildings including a large red overhanging structure, and boats on the blue river.

Digital illustration of Albert Dock at night with people under arches, pink buildings, a boat on water emitting colorful light beams, and a lighthouse in the background.

Colorful illustration of people walking and gathering along a waterfront promenade with trees, benches, and vibrant buildings across the water.

3D massing model of a waterfront urban area with orange buildings, blue water bodies, and gray city streets and structures.

04Architecture

BACA’s Waterspace Strategy for Liverpool received the national Water Renaissance Award for Masterplanning and Strategy, recognising its innovation and lasting impact.

The plan sets a blueprint for waterfront regeneration, breathing new life into the docks while creating long-term investment opportunities.

Through careful planning of water plots, floating and fixed structures, and climate-adaptive design, the project offers a model for future sustainable waterfronts around the world.

By reconnecting Liverpool’s people with their waterways, the proposal positions the Liverpool Docks once again as one of the city’s greatest assets and a symbol of innovation in UK architecture.

Giant marionette puppets of a deep-sea diver and a girl in a yellow raincoat performing outdoors with large crowds watching near water and city streets.

Night view of a lit fountain and historic buildings reflected in calm water, with boats docked and fireworks in the sky at a waterfront harbor.