GALLERY | Sneak peek of Manchester’s Rylands revival

Developer AM Alpha has unveiled CGIs giving a glimpse of its plans to transform the former Debenhams near Piccadilly Gardens into a thriving office, retail, and leisure complex.

Main contractor Russell WBHO is set to begin work on refurbishing the grade two-listed building off Market Street this year, with an eye for completion in 2025.

Designs by Jeffrey Bell Architects, approved in 2021, showcase more than 300,600 sq ft of workspace, around 36,700 sq ft of ground-floor retail, and nearly 40,000 sq ft of basement wellness space.

“The Rylands Building was built in the 1930s as a show of prosperity and ambition,” a brochure for the project reads. “Now it is time for the next generation.”

Proposed retail units will range from 130 sq ft to 16,170 sq ft. Barker Proudlove is the project’s retail agent.

OBI is in charge of marketing the Rylands workspace, which spans 10 floors – including the four-storey contemporary work extensive. Workspaces range from 6,103 sq ft to 42,915 sq ft.

Amenities within the Rylands Building are set to include winter gardens on the sixth floor and multiple roof terraces. Office tenants will also be able to enjoy a concierge reception, changing and shower facilities, an exercise studio, a wellness suite, cycle storage, and internal access to the retail arcade on the building’s ground floor.

AM Alpha’s plans for the Ryland include having it reach a BREEAM rating of Excellent and NABERS five-star accreditation. It is set to accomplish this by featuring air source heat pumps, solar panels, modern glazing on windows, and a mixed-operation heating and ventilation system.

The German investor purchased the 500,000 sq ft building in 2017 for £87m. Those interested in seeing the approved planning application for AM Alpha’s revamp of the historic building should search on Manchester City Council’s planning portal using reference number 127881/FO/2020.

Click on any image to launch gallery. All images by Jeffrey Bell Architects.

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