Construction will begin in late 2018 on the £20 million Maritime Knowledge Hub in Birkenhead in the United Kingdom. Located in the Wirral Waters redevelopment, the collaborative maritime education and research facility is being created by a partnership of Liverpool John Moores University, Peel Land and Property, Mersey Maritime, and Wirral Council. Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Ellis Williams Architects, the 90,000-sf complex will provide a business and technology incubator, a marine education and training center, and a maritime industries center. The first phase of development will include a 360-degree ship-handling simulator, a conference center, and space for offshore tidal energy research. Parkinson is the master developer for the Wirral Waters site, which features the historic Hydraulic Tower as its centerpiece. Modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, the tower was bombed in World War II but will be renovated as part of the Maritime Knowledge Hub project, which will also include construction of an adjacent new building.
