MGMA Architects join Wirral U-Boat Project 

Big Heritage have appointed MGMA Architects to design a major new attraction in Birkenhead. The museum – a key part of the Woodside area’s £20m regeneration project – will be constructed to display and protect U-534, a German WW2 submarine raised from the seabed in 1993. 

U-534 is only of only four surviving U-boats, notable as the very last boat to leave Germany before the end of the war. It was sunk by an RAF Liberator bomber after refusing to surrender, and spent 48 years under the sea. The cold, silty conditions preserved the boat remarkably well, but three decades of being housed outdoors have taken their toll on the vessel, necessitating a major new development to preserve it for future generations. 

MGMA, based in Liverpool, was selected from the shortlist with a bold proposal for an expansive hangar-style building, allowing visitors to explore the preserved interiors and appreciate the sheer scale of the 250ft-long submarine. Their goal is to create an adaptable building that supports flexible exhibition spaces and offers a variety of perspectives of the boat, without hindering ongoing conservation work.  

Dean Paton, founder of Big Heritage, said: “We’re excited to start working with MGMA on a project that is going to change the heritage landscape of Birkenhead. Their team share our values around the importance of heritage in the built environment, but are also prepared to push boundaries and think beyond brick and mortar.” 

Architect Matthew Ashton said: “MGMA are thrilled to work with Big Heritage to deliver a reconfigured home and facilities for this wartime artefact. Bringing together WWII history and the heritage waterfront, this project will place Birkenhead at the heart of the Battle of the Atlantic experience, linking U-534 with Liverpool’s Western Approaches to tell the story of this unique period in the national past.” 

Liverpool-based MGMA has a strong track record working with heritage projects across the region, including their current project 42 Jamaica Street, a historic warehouse sympathetically converted into mixed-use office and leisure space. They’re also involved in the bid to restore the historic Cannington Shaw Bottle Shop in St Helens, a scheduled monument listed as one of the Victorian Society’s top 10 most endangered buildings in the UK. 
 
The museum is in the early stages of planning, with the aim to open by 2024.  

Details on the U-Boat Story project are available at www.howtofixauboat.com 

MGMA Architects’ official site is: https://mgma-architects.co.uk