Bruntwood SciTech rounds off £87m No 3 Circle Square

GMI Construction has handed over the 15-storey block, which has already attracted several established brands and aims to take advantage of the wealth of educated talent along Manchester’s Oxford Road corridor to lure more into the space still available.

Bridge Architects designed Bruntwood SciTech’s No 3 Circle Square to be tailored to meet the needs of high-growth, digital, and innovation-led businesses and is the third phase of the phased £750m Circle Square redevelopment.

The scheme includes a roof terrace, breakout rooms and meeting lounges, a gym, cycle storage, changing facilities, and an events space.

In total, the £87m development will provide 267,000 sq ft of workspace and has already secured several high-profile tenants.

Puma is relocating its headquarters from London to take up 20,000 sq ft at the development, while global communications group Havas has claimed 31,000 sq ft of specialist hybrid workspace for its six agencies, and UK data regulator ICO will set its national HQ over another 20,000 sq ft in the build.

Auto Trader, currently the block’s largest tenant, is to take up seven floors of the building, having agreed a lease for 130,000 sq ft. Six of the floors are to be office space, while a rooftop terrace will be made exclusive to Auto Trader’s employees.

There is understood to be around 67,000 sq ft of space remaining to be let.

Internal facilities are complemented by Symphony Gardens – 24,000 sq ft of landscaped shared green public space delivered in phase one of Circle Square.

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The Bruntwood SciTech joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G, and GMPF designed the scheme with sustainability in mind, striving for a BREEAM Excellent status, a NABERS five-star rating, and an EPC A rating, with the whole site powered by 100% renewable energy, according to the developer.

Credit: via Citypress

John Marland, chief development officer, Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Completing No 3 Circle Square is a landmark moment – not just for Bruntwood SciTech and our delivery team, but for Manchester’s innovation economy.

“This building represents our ambition to create world-class infrastructure that accelerates the growth of the UK’s most exciting businesses, and we’re looking forward to seeing the creativity and innovations that grow here in the future.

“At Circle Square, we’ve created a vibrant ecosystem that brings together start-ups, global brands, and scaleups in one connected, collaborative place, and we’ve seen how beneficial co-location and access to talent and research can be for these businesses. No 3 Circle Square will give our customers a platform to grow, recruit, and innovate – and ultimately thrive.”

Bruntwood SciTech’s plans for the office block were first lodged with Manchester City Council in February 2020.

Credit: via Citypress

Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, added: “Manchester is the fastest-growing city in the UK and has real momentum as a centre for jobs, investment, and innovation.

“Circle Square is making a tangible contribution to this story, attracting prestigious occupiers who want to work in an environment which supports collaboration and new ideas.”

Bruntwood SciTech’s team for No 3 Circle Square includes Bridge Architects, Richard Boothroyd Associates, Curtins, CWC and Planit.

The joint venture is extremely active in Manchester, with Thread Works, Pall Mall, Citylabs 4.0, and King’s House all part of its ongoing £243m city-wide investment into the city, bringing forward more than 727,000 sq ft of tailored workspace