Facilities within the School
The Liverpool School of Architecture benefits from comfortable, well-lit studio, work and seminar/review spaces. We also have IT teaching laboratories and workshops, meeting spaces and excellent office accommodation.
Built in 1987, our 'hi-tech' design studio was designed by King McCallister (now Shed KM) and featured prominently in the Architects' Journal when it was opened. Its large open-plan design with 24 hour access allows students from all years to work in close proximity and share design ideas between the years.
Technical Support
The school has dedicated technicians who support our AV, photographic and multimedia and IT functionalities on a day to day basis. Seven full-time workshop supervisors are responsible for the provision of model-making and workshop skills within the school.
Print Media Design Suite (PMDS)
The PMDS is a multi-purpose facility containing highly professional equipment, from 3-D printers and backlit drawing boards to large format printers and guillotines, it enables the user to print, cut, scan and draw to a very exacting standard. The PMDS is a supervised facility with a member of staff available during opening hours to provide technical support and advice.
Computing
Two computing labs are available for student use, one with 52 Core i7 PCs and another with 12 Apple iMacs. All machines feature Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat, Illustrator and AutoCAD software and are supported by the University Computing Services Department (CSD).
In addition the PC lab also has Rhino for 3D modelling, Grasshopper for parametric modelling and Brazil for high quality rendering, together with Adobe Premiere, Revit, SketchUp, and the full Microsoft Office suite of applications installed. The Mac suite also has Final Cut Pro and Cinema 4D installed.
The school also has wireless networking throughout to allow students to work online and access school and university web-based resources including printing.
Photography and Audio Visual
The school has a number of members of staff who are practicing architectural photographers and offers tuition and technical support from the basic concepts of photography to advanced architectural, time lapse and video techniques.
Research Labs
The school has major specialised facilities for work in the science and engineering fields including controlled environment rooms, noise transmission suites, an anechoic chamber and has recently invested in a Heliodon.
Library
The library is extensively stocked with all the major architecture books, monographs and periodicals. We also subscribe to all the major architecture and planning journals and have an impressive historical collection of journals available to our students. In addition to the general library stock, students may consult the Special Collections and Archives that contains unique architectural ephemera and drawings.
Workshop
The school features two model making workshops a laser suite and a CNC router room. Equipment includes a 3 axis CNC router, four 3D printers, five laser cutters, the full range of traditional analogue woodworking machinery including band saws, a table saw, various sanders, spray booth, fret saws, power tools and hand tools. We also offer free some materials.