Credit Suisse completes 110,000 sq ft Manchester office retrofit
Previously home to Eversheds, 70-76 Great Bridgewater Street was stripped back to its concrete frame and redeveloped, saving an estimated 4,000 tonnes of carbon.
Branded as Havelock, Credit Suisse’s 110,000 sq ft retrofit scheme provides grade A workspace across eight floors on a plot beside the Rochdale Canal in Manchester.
Main contractor Gilbert-Ash has now completed work on one of the city’s largest office retrofit projects to date.
Anthony Leonard, head of investment management for the UK and Ireland at UBS Asset Management Real Estate, which owns Credit Suisse, said there had been “no compromise” in terms of sustainability and on-site amenities.
The building has attained a NABERS five-star and BREEAM outstanding accreditations for its design. Project manager Savills estimates the completed scheme generated 684kgC02e/m2 of embodied carbon. Modelling for a demolition and newbuild scenario estimated 970kgC02e/m2 of embodied carbon.
It features a business lounge and touchdown areas, a wellness suite with showers, as well as two terraces on each upper level.
Al Martin, partner at Simten Developments, which was the development manager for the scheme, added: “The ambition from the outset was very high, from an architectural and construction point of view to design-based energy and energy use ratings.
“To meet our objectives is extremely satisfying and testament to the whole team.”
The building became vacant when Eversheds relocated to New Bailey in 2021, sparking plans for its redevelopment.
OMI Architects led on the design.
Attention now turns to finding occupiers for the building. Savills and CBRE have been appointed as leasing advisers.
Learn more about the North West’s retrofit scene. Book your Sustainability in Practice: Retrofit ticket.
It looks like a new building altogether. Great work!….meanwhile the old renaissance hotel is getting stripped back to look like the same building
By Tomo
And what would have the carbon cost been for the existing building to be used?
By Jeff
Massive improvement
By Anonymous
Stunning project. One of the best things Manchester has seen in a long time. Bravo OMI.
By Peter
Jeff, and what would have been the carbon cost to pull down the whole thing and rebuild it?
By Anonymous
Fantastic refurb! Looks great
By Steve
The global polluters in China, India and USA are laughing at us as we impoverish ourselves with this net zero madness
By Eco realist
Although this rebuild office building looks much better than the original Eversheds it went well beyond its timescale. It was supposed to complete January 2024, not late June/early July 2024! The time it took to do all the rebuild work, it would’ve been better for the surrounding environment (due to noise, dust etc) to have just demolished quickly and started again from scratch.
By Anonymous
@Eco Realist, bit of a short sighted view there. How do you expect the UK to exert any leverage over the biggest emitters if we abandon our own obligations? In addition, there is a complicating factor of our historical emissions (and those of other countries who were first to industrialise) and which arguably contributed significantly to the problems everyone is facing today
By Anonymous
Climate change never happened before the industrial revolution, the climate was the same for 4 billion years …. oh wait
By Anonymous
Absolutely laughable. Suggest people go to UAE, China or USA and see what they’re doing about net zero. What we are doing in the UK is expensive and a waste of time, the equivalent of putting a fire out with a syringe.
By Mr Jones
Thank you Mr Jones. To suggest we have any influence over China and the other global polluters is quite frankly deluded
By Eco Realist
@Eco Realist. Of course we exert influence. This is a GLOBAL problem. The Paris accord (an international treaty) is one such mechanism, the biannual COP conferences are another, the constant exchange of knowledge, good practice. and policy development via scientific forums, academic journals and international trade agreements are others, all of which are underpinned by our domestic policy and fatally undermined if we abandon our net zero targets.
We all share the same planet and we all have a responsibility to tackle the problem. Just because something is difficult doesnt mean it shouldn’t be attempted. We owe it to future generations to try. And on that score this building is one small part of the solution.
By Anonymous
Judge the global polluters on their actions rather than which treaties they do or don’t sign
By Eco Realist