Feilden Clegg Bradley wins Cathedral brief

The studio has been appointed as lead architect for the £7m redevelopment of the west end of Manchester Cathedral.

On behalf of Manchester Cathedral, Dooley Associates oversaw the OJEU process to find an architect for the project, as part of £15m of refurbishment activity taking place at the cathedral.

Shortlisted practices included BDP, Buttress, Purcell and Richard Griffiths Architects, alongside Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Practices were asked to produce a design that was “aspirational and symbolic” and that will preserve and enhance the heritage and character of the Cathedral’s existing west façade, helping the Cathedral to become a more recognisable symbol with the ambition of creating a medieval tourist and cultural quarter for the city.

Feilden Clegg Bradley will now work with the Cathedral to develop the design for a Heritage Lottery Fund bid to be submitted later this year.

Anthony O’Connor, director of fundraising and development at Manchester Cathedral, said: “The Cathedral has embarked on its largest building intervention in its history with a planned completion on its 600-year anniversary in 2021. It is great, that thanks to our sponsors, volunteers and partners, several projects are already on site.”

Dooley Associates was appointed by Manchester Cathedral in January 2014 to work as project manager and quantity surveyor to co-ordinate and control more than 17 packages of work involving cost planning, procurement and delivery of projects, the largest of which is the west end development at £7m. The appointment also includes the installation of the 14-tonne organ on the medieval screen and new lighting and sound installation being developed with design consultants BDP.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios opened a new Manchester office in 2015.