Hillcrest plans £4m refurb for Arkwright House

Interior designer and fit-out contractor Claremont would carry out the works – the third such renovation for the grade two-listed Manchester building within a decade.

Claremont also delivered the other two refurbishments for Arkwright House: a £1m programme in 2020 and a £16m scheme in 2017.

Hillcrest Private Equity Real Estate, a joint venture between Sun Capital Partners and Deva Capital, took ownership of the 95,000 sq ft Arkwright this summer. The building, constructed in 1937, fronts Parsonage Gardens and is the home to flex space provider Orega, Ramboll, and San Carlo.

This latest £4m refurbishment programme includes a redesign of the historic building’s reception to pay homage to the building’s Art Deco heritage and the addition of a business lounge, fully fitted and furnished office suites, a wellness centre, and a gym.

The work is estimated to take 16 weeks and to start before the end of the year. Claremont is shooting to complete the scheme in the spring. Falcon Rock is the delivery partner for the project.

Colliers and Edwards are the joint agents for Arkwright.

Regarding the refurbishment, Colliers’ Manchester office head Dominic Pozzoni said: “The investment plans will enable the building to realise its full potential by creating spaces that align with the needs of the modern office occupier in all the key areas of wellness, technology, ESG, inclusivity and a range of flexible fitted workspace.”

Edwards director Andrew Timms added: “With no new build offices planned to start over the next 12 months in Manchester city centre, the revitalisation of buildings such as Arkwright is increasingly important.”

He continued: “It is exciting to blend the 1930s design aspects with fresh new working concepts like fully fitted and furnished space, which will appeal to a wide range of occupiers.”