Course: MArch 1
Atelier: Infrastructure Space

Hi, I'm Angela!

Having completed my undergraduate studies in MSA, I spent my last two years working back home in Hong Kong. My previous works in practice revolve largely around public architecture, ranging from large-scale transit oriented developments to footbridges and water outposts.

I particularly enjoy projects cultivating everyday spaces and engaging with the community and its stories. Stories of all kinds fascinate me and nourish my approach to preserving touch and connection in my works.

Looking forward to working with the team and the Canal and River Trust to explore the dynamic cultural landscape of the Docks and the pontoon's many potential within it!

Introducing our Collaborators!

Excited to collaborate with The Canal & River Trust on this upcoming design initiative at the Salthouse Dock! As the charity responsible for caring for 2,000 miles of waterways in England and Wales, the Trust plays a vital role in maintaining Liverpool’s docks through daily operations, historic conservation, and major engineering projects. Their work supports boating communities, enhances water quality, and fosters engagement through learning opportunities.

The Trust’s floating stage at the Salthouse Dock has previously hosted a variety of hybrid activities, bringing the local community, students, and visitors closer to the water. From jellyfish spotting to canoeing, paddleboarding, and family days, these initiatives have encouraged a focus on aquatic health and understanding of ecosystems.

By redesigning this space together, the project continues the tradition of connecting people to the water, ensuring the dock remains a thriving asset for the community.

Introducing our Collaborators!

Thrilled to have Donald Insall Associates on board as consultants for this exciting project at the Salthouse Dock! With over 65 years of pioneering architectural conservation and heritage consultancy, their expertise ensures that historic places not only endure but thrive amid an ever-evolving world. Specializing in conservation architecture, heritage consultancy, and townscape advice, they bring invaluable insight to projects that balance preservation with innovation.

Their recent work on Liverpool’s waterfront includes the upcoming International Slavery Museum and a regeneration scheme at the Canning quaysides and dry docks that features a contemplative space and overall improvements to the public area. As advisors on this project, their guidance will help shape a floating space that respects the dock’s rich heritage while creating new opportunities for community engagement.

Reintroducing the Group!

FLOAT welcomes our BA students to the team as we kick-start the 2-week-long design period!

Day 1!

We launched our design week with an energising site visit to the Liverpool Docks for an up-close inspection of our site and the existing pontoon. Marcus from the River and Canal Trust welcomed us in the beautiful weather with an insightful introduction to the area, outlining key features of the site and the important themes to keep in mind throughout the day.

From there, we met Rob on the slipway to get strapped into our lifejackets before hitting the water in our boats and paddles! Approaching the pontoon from the waters gave us a completely new and immersive perspective on how the pontoon interacts with the water-side neighbourhood and marine life. Jellyfish spottings and signs of other aquatic life as we paddled across the waters sparked curiosity and excitement for the upcoming design work.

The day ended with a nap on our coach ride back. All charged up for the week ahead!

Day 3!

Midway through the week, and the momentum is building! We kicked off the day by diving into the design process, starting with a site model digital modelling tutorial, easing into a more comfortable relationship with the digital tools we’ll be using throughout the project. We also revisited the project brief, unpacking its key themes and goals to ground our ideas in context and purpose.

In the afternoon, we took our sketchbooks and headed to the park for an open-air creative session. Surrounded by greenery and a lot of sun, we shared thoughts, exchanged early concepts, and put pencil to paper in a relaxed, collaborative setting. It was a chance to reset, reconnect, and let ideas flow freely, jump-starting our creative minds and setting the tone for our next design days.

The refreshing mix of focus and flow that we needed!

A closer look at our site at the Salthouse Docks.

The existing pontoon structure is right off the shore and accessible via a retractable ramp. Before getting damaged, the structure housed a mix of creative programmes, including school visits, interactive marine studies, cultural performances, and water sports.

The current structure consists of chained concrete and foam-filled plastic by InterMarine that is adaptable with temporary canopies and furniture.

Our key design drivers!

Keeping "context", "materiality", "interactivity", "sustainability", and "engagement" in mind as we continue to develop our ideas and concepts into tangible designs.

Day 5!

To end the week with something fun, we wrapped up and reviewed our storyboards from Thursday, then moved on to our performance prototype model workshop!

We built the ideas gathered across the week into prototype models using recycled and reused model materials, including plastic bottles, lolly sticks, cardboards and cereal boxes. The hands-on creative session helped give more spatial awareness and consideration to their designs. It was exciting to see how everyone's ideas manifested into different forms and design features each with their own flair.

We then went on to testing them on the water...

Another look at our project brief ahead of our interim design presentations.

We are creating a set of drawings and visualisations that can effectively convey innovative and aesthetically pleasing proposals for a replacement floating structure. This project is intended to substantially aid in securing funding opportunities for the River and Canal Trust and to help promote the ongoing development of this initiative.

Outputs include plans, sections, elevations, and renders/ visualisations.

A scroll through the group's work in progress!

We are building up on some nice drawings and graphics for our final designs.

Day 10!

We presented our final ideas to the representatives from the Canal and River Trust, James and Marcus, today. They were really pleased with the students' outputs and were surprised by how well the designs had come in as little as two weeks. They praised the range of ideas produced and liked the idea of storyboarding the different perspectives of different types of pontoon users.

They are going to take the range of ideas forward to achieve funding for a new floating platform within the Salthouse dock, which will house a range of activities for many different types of users. The students brought a different perspective that both James and Marcus were unaware of, which was that students aren’t familiar with the Canal and River Trust. They proposed some ideas to expand their user focus towards students by giving them space to study or even have a DJ platform. It was also important to give the pontoon a representation at nighttime, a couple groups did this simply through illumination.

Thank you to the Canal and River Trust for coming to see our presentations, and we hope you might use some of our ideas to gain funding and develop an adaptable and inclusive floating pontoon.