DALE HOUSE, LIVERPOOL
RIBA Stages 0-7
Unit3 Design Studio’s proposals for Dale House reimagine an existing commercial property at 27–29 Dale Street as a welcoming café and restaurant in Liverpool city centre. Located within the Castle Street Conservation Area, the project combines contemporary hospitality design with a sensitive approach to the building’s architectural character.
The scheme brings together the ground floor, basement and first-floor accommodation, adapting existing commercial spaces to support a coordinated new use. At the heart of the design is a proposed double-height atrium behind the Dale Street frontage. Created by opening up part of the first-floor slab, this generous space will establish a visual connection between levels and give the interior a distinctive focal point. A new staircase, additional first-floor seating and reconfigured counter areas complete the internal transformation.
At street level, renewed doors and aluminium bi-fold windows will create a more inviting frontage and strengthen the café’s relationship with Dale Street. Above, the building’s characteristic stone façade, regular window arrangement, central balcony and cornice will be retained, preserving its contribution to the historic streetscape.
On Eberle Street, reopening two blocked windows will improve the appearance of the side elevation. The proposals also make use of existing drainage and ventilation routes, limiting the need for additional external equipment.
The project demonstrates our approach to commercial refurbishment and café design in Liverpool: making existing buildings work for contemporary uses while respecting their setting. Through carefully targeted alterations, the Dale House proposals aim to create an engaging hospitality venue and support the continuing vitality of Liverpool’s historic commercial centre.
Work in progress
The Gallery
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Unit3 are an award winning multi-disciplinary design studio based in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. We work across three design sectors (architecture, graphic design and creative media) and help clients across the UK and internationally achieve great designs.
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