Manchester

Originally the site of the former Employment Exchange on the edge of the Northern Quarter and a two-minute walk from Piccadilly Station, the building was designed to maximise its location next to the Rochdale Canal and to ensure the building would achieve iconic landmark status. A classically restrained limestone façade suggests order and complements the scale of adjacent buildings, while bringing a deliberate reinvigoration and brightness to the streetscape.

High level articulation is created with peripteral that gives the building a signature roof, while specialist lighting accentuates the solid vs void. The building form is divided in order to maintain rights to light, while creating a central courtyard area that permits light into the heart of the building.

The building creates a new and strong connection to the Rochdale canal from a road level entrance, with new open terraces, which in turn encourage pedestrian footfall to reconnect the building and street to its surroundings.

There is a focus on how the materials meet at surfaces and corners, and how they are actually installed to provide a high-quality façade. Vertical strip windows are surrounded with a projecting cassette that add subtle detail and relief.