GALLERY | Manchester’s £22m Gorton Hub opens today
Built by Morgan Sindall Construction, the health and learning facility on Garrett Way provides residents with access to NHS community health teams, a library, a JobCentre Plus, and adult education services.
Down the line, Gorton Medical Centre GP practice will move into the three-storey Gorton Hub, as will a pharmacy, and a café. A housing office from One Manchester could also be added.
- Scroll down for a gallery showcasing the interior of the hub
Morgan Sindall has been attached to the £22m project since 2018, working alongside architect IBI to craft the design for the multi-service hub for Manchester City Council. Planning permission for the hub was granted in 2019 and work began in July 2021.
By being involved in the design process, Morgan Sindall said it was able to craft a steel frame solution for the building that saved 561 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of embodied carbon.
A further 532 tonnes of embodied carbon were saved by installing photovoltaic panels, air source heat pumps, thermal wheel heat recovery, and efficient lighting in the hub. This was calculated using Morgan Sindall’s in-house digital carbon reduction tool, CarboniCa.
The construction company also estimates the Gorton Hub generated £16m in social value for the area, calculating that figure through Social Value Portal. Social value elements included Morgan Sindall partnering with Ryder Brow Allotments to support non-profit Sow the City, which encourages people to start gardening.
Morgan Sindall also hosted a jobs fair at Gorton Monastery to help those in the community find work. The construction company believes around 650 people found employment as a result.
Shaun Jones, North West area director for Morgan Sindall Construction said: “Community projects are at the heart of what we do here at Morgan Sindall Construction. Gorton is a vibrant area with a wealth of great community organisations who have local people at the heart of what they do.
“It’s been a pleasure working so closely with the city council to maximise the positive impact the Gorton Hub will bring. Together, we have created £16m of social value, which is absolutely phenomenal and will leave a legacy in Gorton for years to come – we’re looking forward to seeing the local and economic growth that follows.”
Manchester City Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig called the opening of the Gorton Hub a “momentous moment” and described how such a building would help the community.
“This isn’t just about the convenience of visiting one place to access all of these support services, but it’s based on the understanding that all of these services are interconnected,” she said. “Housing and good health, good employment, education, and social care. Our residents need all of these things to work together to lead happy, healthy and prosperous lives.
“This is why the Gorton Hub is so innovative. It helps us all think a bit differently about the support we need and will allow our residents to access those services more easily – each behind a single front door.”
Click on any image to launch gallery. All images by Manchester City Council.
- Exterior of the building
- Health treatment room
- Children's treatment room
- JobCentre Plus
- Exterior of the library
- The library
This is great to see, with the decline in Gorton over recent years it is brilliant to see investments such as this, the Hideout Youth Zone and new school on the old Showcase enabling people round here a chance to access much needed support.
By Dan D
Really good to see figures being shared for embodied carbon. I would be interested to see more detail on their calculations, specifically the total embodied carbon per sq m; to enable comparison. I understand it is alot easier to calculate for isolated materials but if they have a calculator, we can all learn something from their results and track if we are moving in the right direction at the required speed.
By Interested
There’s not enough parking for staff, we’ll have to park on residential streets.
By Sue
Let’s see how long it stays open with all the economic doom and gloom. I wish everybody working there a happy and long existence
By Paul