The Foundation building occupies a strategically important site within the city, next to Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and close to the Victoria Building, a Gothic Revivalist structure, an original part of the University of Liverpool and the inspiration for the term “red-brick university.”

The Foundation Building visually integrates with these contrasting surroundings through the use of limestone and floor to ceiling glazing, which mirrors its context, while also addressing the landscaped piazza in front of the Student’s Union. As well as designing the reception and communal areas, Falconer Chester Hall was also invited to fit out the internal spaces of the Vice Chancellor’s office. The modernist design uses limestone and zinc to complement the materiality of the nearby Cathedral.