Melwood - AFL
Melwood is the famous training ground of Liverpool FC. First redeveloped in 1959, when legendary manager Bill Shankly was shown around and described the facility as ‘a wilderness’, it has been refurbished once more, this time by Manchester based architects AFL, to bring it well and truly into the modern era. As talk rumbles on regarding the uniting of the academy in Kirkby and the Melwood facility, the Liverpool players can rest assured that until any concrete decisions are made, they are benefitting from all the advancements of a brand new fit-out. Indeed, one first team player - defender Mamadou Sakho, was particularly impressed with the new first team changing room design, when he sent out a picture of his area on Snapchat at the start of the 2016/17 season. AFL say that the multi-million pound revamp of the training pavilion was designed to define three main areas of the space via walls of split-face clockwork, iroko timber cladding, and the mandatory, striking red render wall. While these elements are used internally to determine the functional use of each space, they are also represented externally, where they are amalgamated into the striking entrance that can be seen today. Some of the spaces that have seen improvements include the offices reserved for the First-team Manager, currently Jurgen Klopp, and for the Chief Executive. The private dining area for coaching and playing staff has also seen work done to it, with an optional quiet area incorporated into the room by way of a large, folding divider. The improvements to the facility show no sign of slowing down, with a planning application in place for a brand-new player’s exit, to avoid congestion with fan build up.
