First Look at Plans for Liverpool’s Martins Bank Building

12th July 2022

The first images of how the historic Martins Bank building in Liverpool will look following its major transformation have been revealed.

Responsible property investor Kinrise has unveiled its vision for the iconic former Martins Bank headquarters in Liverpool.

Formal plans, designed in consultation with Historic England and Liverpool City Council, have recently been submitted and enabling works are now underway as new images of the building’s future interiors are unveiled. Upon completion in 2024, the historic Grade II* listed building will house community-focused spaces, F&B and 140,000 sq.ft. of sustainable Grade-A offices.

Alongside beautifully designed workspaces unlike anything else in the city, Kinrise plans to create welcoming, publicly accessible spaces within the spectacular former banking hall on the ground floor of the building. Often described as the most ornate in the country thanks to its extravagant display of travertine and bronze, the central hall is now set to become a culturally engaging, multifaceted space, featuring a cafe and restaurant as well as meeting, co-working and event areas.

Working with architects Red Deer and Brock Carmichael, and pre-construction advisor Lendlease, Kinrise plans to retain and restore the building’s original features, maximising the abundance of natural light that flows into the building, whilst employing its signature ESG-centric refurbishment principals to remodel Martins as a fully carbon-neutral building. As part of Kinrise’s vision to return the space to public access and create an engaging hub for the city, a Community Manager has already been appointed to oversee the implementation of cultural events.

Employed across all of its buildings, the Kinrise cultural, health, and impact programme is designed to inspire tenants to connect and grow through events, food, art, music and community engagement. Kinrise has already kick-started this programme, utilising the vacant space within the building to host community initiatives ahead of the commencement of main refurbishment works in early 2023.

Most recently, Kinrise partnered with Paul Askew’s Art School restaurant, Liverpool BID, Bordeaux Wine Council and Liverpool Commonwealth Association to host ‘Taste Liverpool, drink Bordeaux’ in the building. The food and drink festival brought together the city’s best chefs and restauranteurs, with Martins welcoming over 1,500 members of the public during the course of the four-day event. Sam Lawson Johnston, Co-Founder, Kinrise, comments:

“We want to play a long-term role in the renewal of Liverpool and hope our renovation of Martins will act as a catalyst for change within the district.

“In a time where Liverpool’s heritage status has come under international scrutiny, we hope Martins will kick-start landlords of other important buildings to begin high quality renovations of their own, avoiding further demolitions in the city, with their associated environmental damage, and keeping the great character and history of Liverpool alive.

“We are excited to see our plans for the building come to fruition and we hope its renovation and the return of public access will leave a meaningful legacy for the city for future generations.”

Kinrise is a responsible property investor focused on reimagining and restoring iconic buildings and bringing them back to life. Translated as ‘community rising’, Kinrise’s vision is to play its part in the renewal of UK cities by creating spaces that inspire and enable connection, culture, and company growth. Each of its buildings is designed to host freelancers in need of a desk for the day through to global companies needing a home for a decade. The 207,000 sq.ft. Martins Bank Building joins Kinrise’s existing portfolio of ten buildings across Leeds, Manchester, London and Birmingham.

Visit www.martinsbankbuilding.com Follow @martinsbankbuilding

12th July 2022