Work begins on Circle Square offices

Bruntwood has broken ground on the first two commercial buildings within the £750m Circle Square development in Manchester, totalling 400,000 sq ft.

The 14 storey and 17 storey offices are due to be completed in early 2020, and are being targeted at digital and technology businesses. The blocks have been designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and will be built by contractor John Sisk & Son.

Bruntwood said the offices will feature its latest workspace designs, which include collaborative co-working, studios and social spaces, as have proven popular with the refurbished Neo. Bruntwood will also offer a programme of social, health and wellbeing and business support events led by a community engagement manager.

The buildings form phase one of the planned 1.2m sq ft commercial offering at Circle Square, and have been designed to show inspiration from the surrounding Victorian warehouses.

Bradley Topps, head of transactions and asset management, Bruntwood said: “Circle Square will be a city centre neighbourhood like no other and we are thrilled to begin the construction of these commercial buildings.

“Situated in the heart of the Oxford Road Corridor, the new workspaces will be ideally located for customers looking to access the world class academic research and development facilities located on the doorstep and, all just a few minutes’ walk from the city’s key transport links and commercial district.

“Businesses wishing to join this unique community as early as 2018, can take up space in the newly refurbished Manchester Technology Centre which will be re-opening in spring 2018.”

The buildings will be centred around 250,000 sq ft of public realm, made up of more than 1,000 plants and flowers,180 semi-mature trees and open, green space in the middle. Planit-IE is landscape architect.

Circle Square is being delivered in a joint venture between Bruntwood and Select Property Group. Significant development work has already taken place on site and by early 2020 over 60% of the masterplan will be complete. Select’s two Vita Student buildings opened last month, with over 400 students moving on to the scheme.

Work is taking place to clear a piece of land on the Circle Square site. Demolition contractors will remove Armstrong House and the Mancunian Way spur, which will then be the location for a mixed-use building made up of a hotel and a multi-storey car park.

The office agents for Circle Square are Knight Frank , JLL and Savills.