Paradise Street, Liverpool One

Paradise Street lies at the heart of Liverpool One - a major retail, leisure and residential development intended to spearhead regeneration of Liverpool's city centre. Occupying an entire urban block, the building plays a key role in establishing a new street pattern which integrates with the surrounding urban fabric and generates an important new pedestrian route linking the city to the river. A dramatic sequence of escalators and zigzag stairs takes visitors from ground to third floor level - to a semi-external cinema foyer above two floors of shops and a west-facing terrace lined with restaurants. A clear distinction is made, both in material and scale, between the three masonry facades that face towards the city and the faceted glass bays that address the park.