Allied London announced its plans for a new tower development on the site of an existing office building in Manchester city centre.
The new building is designed by Ian Simpson Architects and will provide 340,000 sq. ft. of office space with a skyline restaurant on the top floor. The ground floor of the building will accommodate a number of retail shops, cafes and restaurants.
A pedestrian route is designed to extend along the middle of the ground floor, improving connectivity between Quay Street and Hardman Square.
The development site in Spinningfields, the city’s troubled £1.5 billion business district, which has experienced a number of issues at the height of the recession during 2007-2010 period.
The developer argues that the current building on the site, called Quay House, is old-fashioned and under-occupied.
John Cooper, director at Deloitte Real Estate said: “The proposals represent the final piece of the original Spinningfields Masterplan - completing the development with a stunning landmark building. A key consideration in the evolution of the design has been the desire to enhance the environment within Hardman Square.
"The new building will provide a dramatic enclosure to the Square and its form and orientation has been evolved to ensure that direct sunlight is retained within the square at key times of the day including lunch times and evenings.”
The City Council is expected to make its final decision on the high-rise office scheme on 10 April.
Michael Ingall, chief executive of Allied London, said: “No 1 Spinningfields will be the district’s most imposing building to date and one of Manchester’s most stand-out office buildings.
“Our last significant building, 3 Hardman Square, won several awards for its design and specification and we expect this building to take the mantle of the best regional office building in the UK.
He added: “We have taken inspiration from buildings around the world and aim to deliver highly desirable office space combined with the city’s highest restaurant.”
A planning decision for No 1 Spinningfields is expected on 10 April 2014.”
Allied London has recently been given a green light for The Cotton Building in Spinningfields, a 10 storey multi-use development which includes co-working facilities, incubator workspace, restaurants, underground cycle park, climbing wall, health and fitness and wellbeing areas.
Photo: Construction Enquirer