GALLERY | Salboy wraps up ‘out of this world’ £300m Viadux
With plans for the 76-storey phase two dominating recent headlines, you could be forgiven for missing that the sold-out 370-apartment first phase is now complete. The technically challenging scheme has been described by the developer as the toughest build Manchester has ever seen.
“It has been a four-year build which we started in the height of the global pandemic,” Salboy’s managing director Simon Ismail said.
He explained that the first 18 months were spent on the foundations and supporting structures alone. The process involved punching through the grade two-listed railway viaduct arches so that they would not bear any weight, before building the 40-storey tower above, he explained.
“It is out of this world,” Ismail said.
“In order to support the frame and weight of the building, Renaissance Engineering and [contractor] Domis had to create a picture frame within the arches, which allowed the core and supports to punch through and support the building.”
Lee McCarren, director of Domis, added: “The construction of the concrete supports and the transfer slab above took around 90 weeks – including a delay while the Covid-era Nightingale Hospital used some of the space around the viaduct.
“Once the builders reached the transfer slab, it took another 92 weeks to build the next 37 storeys, while standing on a three-metre slab raft. The transfer slab is three metres of concrete with special purpose-made rebar which is 50mm thick – it’s special order and the same as what was used to build Burj Khalifa in the UAE. Everything on this job was special order, special design, there’s nothing normal about it.”
Located off Great Bridgewater Street, Salboy’s Viadux has now welcomed its first residents, who will benefit from a host of on-site amenities.
Images show the extent of the shared facilities at Viadux. They include a pool nestled in the grade two-listed arches of the railway viaduct, as well as a gym and cinema room.
The site was previously home to luxury car dealer Bauer Millett, which operated out of a showroom under the viaduct’s vaulted arches.
Having begun work in earnest back in June 2020, Salboy is pleased with how its trickiest project to date has turned out.
“After four years it’s great to see the first new residents make Viadux their home,” Ismail said.
“This has been our flagship scheme, Viadux remains our most complex scheme yet, tying together pieces of Manchester’s industrial history with the sort of luxury amenities expected of modern urban homes.”
Click on any image to launch gallery. All images provided by Salboy
The few photos of the apartments they look small, I suppose they expect the residents to not be in the their apartments often and using the facilities.
By Anonymous
It took me quite a while to realise these aren’t CGIs! Absolutely phenomenal
By Anonymous
sound like MAYO did the business for DOMIS – well done
By Anonymous
Credit where credit’s due that looks a phenomenal scheme. Well done to the designers, developer and builder for bringing their ‘A’ game. That project team needs to deliver a public building for everyone to have the opportunity to see and enjoy.
By Extinct Logic
The interior looks very stylish. I think they’ve done a great job blending contemporary with the older structure.
By Andee
Stunning
By Anonymous
Despite the (often) criticism of how many SH glass boxes we have in the city centre, this one had indeed turned out to be a real gem. Some fantastic interior shots there (especially of communal areas) that truly make the best use out of the existing structure. Agreed though in relation to some public access spaces of this calibre, maybe Viadux 2 could squeeze in a few amenities.
By Anonymous
Credit to the bricklayers from all those years ago.
There aren’t many tradespeople around now who know how to lay bricks like that.
By Anonymous
Looks amazing! Like living in a fancy hotel! What is the service charge imagine pretty hefty?
By Lizzy Baggot
The constant use of city centre land to build apartment for the rich means those low paid workers are pushed into having long and expensive commutes to get to work.The more the city centre become solely the playground of the rich the more boring and sterile it is now a graveyard for creativity compared to the 1970s and 1980s.
By Anonymous
The viaducts are absolutely stunning features and they’ve clearly been well integrated in to a contemporary amenity design, but I have to say the furniture & lighting choices are a bit tacky. Screams airport lounge and mid-2000s Odeon cinema from a decor perspective.
Shame that scheme could have really stood out from the crowd if they had gone more traditional contemporary than black leather couches and bright red, armless loungers. Terrible choice!
By Real Talk
Hats off!
By Tom
Why do so many of these expensive apartments look like Holiday Inns?.They are like the middle classes idea of luxury like tacky expensive but cheaply made designer products.
By Rachel Rubin
“Having begun work in earnest back in June 2020”
Surely I’ve just emerged from a time warp … four years.
Its right up there as the best tower for me, modern above ground, retro underground.
By MrP
best scheme in Manchester by some distance. Both location and amenities knocks spots off the over crowded Deansgate Sq.
By Luke
Anonymous 4.57 pm – you are clearly remembering Manchester City centre in the 70s and 80s through rose tinted glasses. The city centre at that time was dead, nobody lived there and half of the area was derelict.
By Anonymous
This really is rather good . I remember when they started this thinking that’s some project they’ve taken on. Well done them. Let’s hope they can be equally creative when executing that 76 storey one.
By James
Agreed with others that the brickwork and arches looks incredible, but the decor is tacky (like an outdated bachelor pad) and that flat looks very small for what is probably an unimaginable price
By Anonymous
Local car park operators will be happy
By Anonymous