24 Kitchen Street is a Liverpool institution with a cult following and eclectic music scene.  HSA were approached to help them address challenges around capacity, flexibility and bringing the first floor into use. The venue wanted to be able to operate two club rooms over two floors, acoustically separated from one another and neighbouring residential properties. This would enable the two spaces to run independently of each other even at maximum capacity and also explore opportunities for a rooftop terrace, maximising the footprint of the building.  Critically, the brief was for the venue improvements to retain the existing character of the space. Ideally, the changes would not be apparent to the regular customer or change their experience once they reopened following Covid.

Due to the restricted nature of the site, it was necessary to understand the structural capabilities of the existing building. This was to establish the maximum loading and capacity of the cast iron columns and floors and introduce the correct and most efficient fire escape strategy.

Despite a complex technical resolution, collaborating with acoustic, fire and structural consultants, the completed scheme successfully retained the ground floor’s character and introduced a new light-filled space on the first floor. Designed to be in keeping with the rest of the building, the new space looks as if it could always have been there. This project is one of several independent projects that HSA has supported.