A consortium led by architect Will Alsop has been chosen to develop the £100m Fourth Grace cultural project in Liverpool.
Urban regeneration firm Liverpool Vision selected the consortium from a shortlist of four. The other high-profile architects in the running were Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Edward Cullinan.

Will Alsop said: “We know our scheme was the most radical and challenging and that in choosing us Liverpool Vision has demonstrated commitment to the creation of a 21st-century waterfront for Liverpool that will make the world stand up and take note.”

Alsop, with developers Countryside Properties and Neptune Developments, will develop the Pier Head site. This is directly south of the Port of Liverpool and the Cunard and Royal Liver buildings, a trio known as the “Three Graces”.

Alsop’s scheme comprises three main structures – a 500-seat auditorium, a building containing hieroglyphics of Liverpool’s history, and a 19-storey residential building.