Yoko Ono Lennon Centre, University of Liverpool

The beautiful and imposing Yoko Ono Lennon Centre houses a state-of-the-art teaching and performance space at the University of Liverpool. This facility boasts lecture theatres, seminar rooms, a bar and café and a 400-seat auditorium that can accommodate a 70-piece orchestra.

Working with the architects at Ellis Williams and the contractors at ULCCO Special Projects, LBT supplied over 180,000 Farmstead Antique facing bricks and more than 13,000 bespoke brick specials to this award-winning project.

The University of Liverpool is known as the original ‘red brick university’, therefore a red brick facade was the preferred choice. The use of the Farmstead Antique bricks was more than simply an aesthetic choice, they were also chosen for their density, and they are a key part of the project’s acoustic strategy.

The brickwork was completed in a Flemish bond with curved areas and alternating protruding header courses. Bespoke solid specials were also manufactured to allow the deep projections out from the brickwork, a feature that cannot be achieved with standard facing bricks.

The project used BIM Level 2 design standards, with 3D modelling and drawings. The scheme was also used as a ‘living laboratory’ to enable students from the School of Architecture to engage with the designers and constructors.