Two big-name architects are departing from the National Museums Liverpool (NML) scheme to create a new public realm at the city’s Canning Dock, according to a report published earlier today by the Architects’ Journal.

David Adjaye and Mariam Kamara are now out of the project team for the redevelopment, which includes Asif Khan, Theaster Gates, Arup, and a host of other UK-based firms.

The team first was first announced as the winners of an international competition in October of 2021. Adjaye will reportedly remain on to finish their International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum restorations, which are both separate projects. Neither architect has provided a statement addressing the changes at press time.

A spokesperson from the museum told AJ simply, “Once the direction of the project was established, the collective agreed that Khan and Gates would take the project forward.”

Ultimately, the £75 million ($92.4 million) project will yield a comprehensive refurbishment of the site from Mann Island to Royal Albert Dock. The project is not without controversy, however. In July of 2021, UNESCO cited several developments in the city (including the new Everton football stadium and Museum of Liverpool) as contributing to their decision to remove its World Heritage Site designation over the “irreversible loss” they brought on to the Victorian Era docks’ historic value. 

Writing in the Guardian that summer, critic Oliver Wainwright called the decision, “the consequences of a city in thrall to developers,” adding that Liverpool has been “happy to embrace mediocre development for far too long.”

A spokesperson for the NML said recently they were “hopeful works to the historic dockside buildings can begin soon.” The project is expected to wrap up by the end of 2030.