The architect behind the Royal Liver building was Walter Aubrey Thomas. He was commissioned to design the Royal Liver building by the Royal Liver Assurance Limited group in Liverpool. The idea was to construct a large office building for the company.
Walter Aubrey Thomas got his inspiration for the Royal Liver building after a trip he took to America. While travelling he came across the Ingalls building in Cincinnati, Ohio. Built just 5 years prior to the Royal Liver building, it was the world’s first building constructed using reinforced concrete. He also gained some inspiration from skyscrapers in America, and decided to combine the two and bring American architecture over to Liverpool.The design of the building is very old fashioned upon appearance, although constructed using modern technology. The Royal Liver building was one of the first buildings constructed with reinforced concrete and considered to be Britain’s first skyscraper.
The complete build took around 3 years from 1908-1911, when it opened on 19th July.
Royal Liver Building, Liverpool 