The brief from Knowsley Council was to create a new beacon for hope in one of the borough’s most deprived neighbourhoods. For us the project was a chance to strengthen an evolving relationship with the Council by designing a facility that would help to transform lives and create new opportunities for Tower Hill’s young residents. Tower Hill Boxing Club is a hugely respected local charity, founded in 1972, set up by people who recognised that local young people needed somewhere to go and something to do. It has always been rooted in its community, creating positive role models and channeling the energies of young people into positive structured activity. For decades it operated out of the former Tower Hill Community Centre on Heathfield Drive, a building with heart, but limited facilities. More than anything, the club wanted and needed a facility that matched their ambition, and that would enable them to take their work to a new level.
In 2023, the club took ownership of the building through Knowsley Council’s Community Asset Transfer Scheme. Then, in 2024, the council and One Knowsley secured £1.6m from the Government’s Youth Investment Fund to deliver a major transformation and we were asked to design a space that could grow with the club’s ambitions. Our aim was to create a space that would not only provide state of the art facilities, but would be inspiring and life-changing. The year-long programme delivered a state-of-the-art gym, a wellbeing hub with sauna and cold-water therapy, flexible meeting and training rooms, large offices with Wi-Fi, a fully equipped catering kitchen, and secure off-road parking. Our role extended beyond designing the building, encompassing structural engineering, mechanical and electrical systems and landscape architecture. It’s managing detail, meeting the highest possible standards and ensuring that the clients and end-users’ aspirations are fully realised
The story of Tower Hill Boxing Club is about collaboration, our ability to listen, understand and respond. Since completion, the hub has hosted boxing shows, community events, and training programmes, proof that good design, rooted in community purpose, creates spaces where real things and real change happens. Tower Hill stands as testament to what can be achieved when a community, a charity and architects come together with a shared vision for a better future.
This project has been truly transformative for Tower Hill Boxing Club, and the impact speaks for itself in our ability to host incredible evenings like this one. It has elevated what we can offer our community and strengthened the heart of our club
Lesley Barnabas, Stronger Communities Coordinator, KMBC