Bruntwood SciTech completes £33m Pall Mall overhaul

Five years after buying the building, the JV between Bruntwood, L&G, and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund has announced the refurb is complete and the grade two-listed Manchester office is 90% let.

Fit-out contractor Dragonfly has completed the £33m “deep and technically complex retrofit” of Bruntwood SciTech’s 90,000 sq ft King Street asset after two years on site.

The JV acquired Pall Mall in Manchester for £13m in 2021 from Ardstone Regional Office Fund, a joint venture between Ardstone Capital and CBRE IM, and the overhaul started in February 2024.

A gym, communal lounges, bookable meeting and presentation rooms, roof terrace events space, on-site EV charging, secure cycle storage and “premium” shower and changing facilities, all feature within the new-look Pall Mall, designed by Sheppard Robson.

Pollen Square, an area of public realm to the rear of the scheme, completes the building’s modernisation.

A fundamental aim of the scheme was to upgrade Pall Mall’s environmental credentials. Bruntwood SciTech said this demanded a “careful balance” between preserving the building’s distinctive aesthetic and upgrading its fabric to make it more sustainable.

The building will be net zero in construction and operation, has achieved EPC A and is expected to obtain BREEAM ‘Very Good’, according to Bruntwood SciTech.

The refurb took two years and cost £33m. Credit: via Citypress

Alex Edwards, sustainability director for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “The transformation of Pall Mall is a major milestone in our commitment to creating sustainable, future-focused workspaces that support innovation-led growth in our cities.

“By preserving the original structure while targeting high performance standards, we’ve created an exemplar, low carbon workspace that demonstrates what a deep retrofit of a listed building can achieve.

He added: “This technically complex project has safeguarded an iconic part of Manchester’s commercial heritage that once symbolised the city’s post-war business ambition. Now, with embodied carbon reduced and modern performance built in, Pall Mall stands as a nationally recognised model of how regeneration can meaningfully support environmental goals and business growth for a new generation of occupiers.”

Alex Smith, partner at Sheppard Robson, said: “Post-war buildings like Pall Mall were the most innovative of their era, pioneering open-plan working. However, over five decades later, the building’s systems are at the end of their lives, and the systems used are no longer available. Unlike Victorian buildings, where we understand how to refurbish stone, lead, and timber, with mid-century buildings the industry is still learning how to retrofit them sensitively.

“This led to a painstaking process of sustainable renewal, repositioning a stranded asset for the long-term by creating a modern, sustainable workplace that understands and respects the original architectural integrity of the building.”

The building is understood to be 90% let. Gunnercooke was first to commit, taking 16,000 sq ft of the 90,000 sq ft. Mason Advisory has also signed up to move to Pall Mall.

Place North West contacted Bruntwood for information on the other deals.