The Beacon: Reimagining Liverpool’s revolving tower

Liverpool’s skyline has long been defined by bold vertical markers. From the Royal Liver Building to the modern towers emerging across the city, these structures act as signals. They are architectural beacons that reflect the spirit and ambitions of their time. St John’s Beacon, completed in 1969 and widely known as the Radio City Tower, was one such symbol. A futuristic broadcasting mast rising above the city centre, it captured the technological optimism of its era and quickly became one of Liverpool’s most recognisable landmarks.

More than half a century later, the tower still commands a powerful presence on the skyline. Yet its potential as a civic destination has remained largely untapped. This concept explores how the structure could be reimagined as a contemporary landmark that reconnects the tower with the public while strengthening its role within Liverpool’s evolving skyline.

The proposal retains the existing tower but introduces a new sculptural architectural skin that wraps around the original structure. This intervention both celebrates and reinforces the tower’s vertical form. The ribbed outer structure acts as a new exoskeleton that visually extends the tower while also helping to stabilise and strengthen the original shaft. Rather than replacing the historic structure, the design builds upon it, transforming the tower into a more expressive and resilient piece of architecture.

At the centre of the proposal is an expanded circular crown that reinterprets the tower’s historic viewing platform. The new form creates a larger panoramic observation level suspended above the city. Within this space visitors can experience sweeping views across Liverpool, the Mersey, and the surrounding landscape. The crown also provides room for social and cultural activity, transforming the tower from a purely functional broadcast structure into a destination for visitors and residents alike.

Encircling the crown is a rooftop experience that allows visitors to step outside and walk along the structure itself while safely harnessed. This elevated promenade offers a dramatic new way to experience Liverpool’s skyline. Instead of simply observing the city from behind glass, visitors become physically connected to the tower and its height above the streets below.

Above the crown the tower narrows into a twisting spire that culminates in a small glass viewing capsule positioned at the highest accessible point of the structure. From this vantage point the city unfolds in every direction, reinforcing the tower’s role as a true beacon within Liverpool’s urban landscape.

At night the architecture is designed to glow softly, turning the tower into a luminous marker visible across the city and along the Mersey. The structure becomes less of a relic of broadcasting infrastructure and more of a civic signal. It becomes a point of orientation within Liverpool’s skyline and a reminder of the city’s continuing ambition and creativity.

Rather than replacing St John’s Beacon, the project celebrates its legacy while imagining how the tower could serve a new generation of visitors. In doing so it asks a simple question. What if Liverpool’s most familiar tower could once again become one of its most exciting destinations?