The Florence Institute Trust – New Youth Zone
Commercial | Education | Heritage
Project type
2024
Project completion date
£535k
Projected value
4
Project duration (months)
The Florrie has been at the heart of the L8 community for over 130 years. This stunning Grade II listed, Victorian community arts & heritage venue is a social, cultural, educational and charitable hub for the people of South Liverpool.
Believed to be the oldest surviving purpose built boys club in the UK, ‘The Florrie’ is socially and architecturally unique. Over time, the building has shown signs of wear and tear, which prompted the need for significant renovations to restore the building’s importance and continue its valuable contributions to the community. Led by Krol Corlett, the renovations have revitalised the existing basement area to establish a new ‘Youth Zone’.
This brand-new facility includes a State of the Art Cinema, Radio & Podcast Studio, Games Room as well as Social Recreation & Educational Space for young people.
This new space allows a expanded youth program offering vital support to young people all year round. Working with local schools and youth groups to deliver activities and lessons from outside of the classroom, aiming to engage, motivate, and inspire.
The 12-week, £535,000 renovation project
Addressing both structural and aesthetic aspects of the building. The new youth space is vibrant and bright. The refurbished basement windows and addition of glass panels means light shines through, transforming the space.
The previous long corridor and one big space have been opened up and developed into two big recreational rooms, plus a small space that is now home to Radio Florrie – something that young people love. The space is accessible and includes a lift. It includes a brand-new kitchenette, which is vital for young people, especially so for young people affected by food hunger.
All of the construction work took place while the building was fully occupied and operational with none of the day to day work disrupted in any way.
Key components of the project included:
1. Temporary Removal and Reinstatement:
o Temporary removal and reinstatement of all doors/casings, skirtings, other joinery, partition walls, toilet cubicles, plumbing, power, radiators, pipework, and other services required within the basement to enable floor repairs to be undertaken.
2. Waterproofing and Floor Repairs:
o Removal of existing water-damaged timber floor coverings and waterproofing DPM to identified areas
o Inspection and reinstatement of the drainage channel system
o Installation of new T&G timber floor to replace existing
o Providing new drainage to the new kitchenette connected to an existing internal manhole within the basement with drainage pop-up (completed before installing the new waterproofing DPM).
3. Structural Modifications:
o Infilling existing door openings
o Installation of a new partition walls
o Installation of new glass screens with glazed doors and a new glazed bi-fold wall/screen within the Social Spaces.
4. Mechanical and Electrical Alterations:
o M&E alterations/additions including replacement lighting, power, fire alarm/detection, and access control to doors.
5. Interior Finishing:
o Installation of new corridor door/screen and new doors
o Installation of a new kitchenette including services and wastes connected to new drainage stub
o Full redecoration and new vinyl/carpet floor finishes throughout
o Installation of fixed seating to Lobby and Social Space.
6. Artistic Installations:
o Large mural/timeline artwork installation along the corridor wall
7. Cinema Room Installation:
o Installation of a fully functional cinema room complete with raised seating/joinery, floor, acoustic insulation to walls, and acoustic ceiling, wall, and ceiling finishes.
o Installation of window blinds and cinema equipment.
The completion of the renovation project has greatly improved both The Florrie and strengthened surrounding community bonds, bringing residents closer together and instilling a deeper sense of pride in the Florrie’s role as a community landmark.
The Florrie has evolved into a more vibrant hub, offering wider employment, a diverse range of activities for all ages, enhancing socialisation and learning opportunities.
With improved accessibility, the Florrie is able to foster a stronger sense of inclusion within the community.
By meticulously restoring historic features, the project has not only preserved the Florrie’s past but also ensured its continued relevance for future generations.
Simon Krol, Director said
“It has been a delight to deliver this project for the young people of L8. This space will be available now for years to come, free of charge to any child in the area as a safe place to meet, develop friendships and prosper.
Many thanks to all stakeholders and the collaborative efforts involved in making this project run seamlessly. Thank you also to MP Liverpool Riverside, Kim Johnson for the official Grand Opening and everyone who attended”
The Florrie team has almost nine years of campaigning and fundraising for this dedicated creative space.
Investment was made possibly by The Youth Investment Fund. The Youth Investment Fund is a UK Government fund creating, expanding, and improving local youth facilities and their services in the out-of-school youth sector, to drive positive outcomes for young people.
Liverpool Echo covered the opening and Credit for this picture:
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/new-childrens-space-will-become-29028026
Anne Lundon – CEO, The Florence Institute Trust
“Everyone at TheFlorrie is absolutely delighted with the success of our scheme ’ The Basement’, a collaborative effort in which we are grateful to all who contributed to making it happen. Our contractors Krol Corlett are a team of highly skilled professionals who have been present, visible and dedicated in delivering an amazing new space for children and young people; from the design to delivery, everything was seamless.
All of the construction work took place while the building was fully occupied and operational with none of our day to day work disrupted in any way. Krol Corlett’s expertise and approachable nature helped us build a strong working relationship in which the team went above and beyond to support our charity even further by carrying out a number of old repairs around our beautiful Grade II listed building that was outside of the scope of their contract, adding social value to the wider work we do in the community.
We recognise and applaud their hard work and dedication to complete the project within such strict timelines due to our funder constraints and even with these restrictions the team took pride in their work, striving for perfection to deliver exceptional results which have exceeded our expectations.
We can’t thank you all enough, everyone is so impressed when they see the new facilities, we are blown away every time we walk in”
For more information or any local schools or youth groups interested in using the space – check out: https://www.theflorrie.org/2024/04/30/the-florries-new-youth-zone-the-basement-opens/
Northern Design Awards 2024
Interior Design – Social Space £500k-£1m
The Florence Institute, The Basement Youth Hub – Unit3 Design Studio Ltd
The Florrie is a mixed-use community building at the heart of Liverpool 8, but young people previously had no dedicated area to use within the building. In the past, this has severely limited our ability to provide youth activities, with our current program working on a restricted sessional basis focused around the school holidays. This new space will allow us to expand our youth program to offer vital support to young people all year round. We will be working with local schools and youth groups to deliver their activities and lessons from outside of the classroom, aiming to engage, motivate, and inspire.
Anne Lundon – CEO of The Florence Institute (The Florrie)
“We always knew we wanted a dedicated space within the building for young people. The Basement is not your average children’s centre. We have a state of the art cinema for movie nights, where every seat is the best seat in the house. The Basement is available to book for any school, youth group or community group in the L8 area & will be open two evenings per week and Saturday mornings for organised activities for children up to 12. We appointed two part time youth workers, which means we can have even more activities for young people.”
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