Images out for Circle Square hybrid building
Bruntwood has unveiled the new design for a multi-storey car park within Circle Square in Manchester, which has been reworked to include a 150-bedroom hotel and energy centre.
The 430,000 sq ft building by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios is made up of a 1,100-space multi-storey car park, with the hotel set on top, and a Combined Heat & Power Centre on the ground floor to provide energy for the wider scheme.
A hotel operator is yet to be confirmed, but is expected to be a “leading national brand”. There will also be 2,800 sq ft of retail space at street level.
The construction of the car park was approved by Manchester City Council in June, alongside a raft of other buildings which will be delivered as part of the £750m redevelopment of the former BBC site on Oxford Road.
Joint venture partners Bruntwood and Select Property Group are on site with the first phase, 716 apartments under Select’s Vita Student brand, due to complete in 2017. The second phase will commence next year, and includes 105,000 sq ft of shops, cafés, bars and restaurants, 300,630 sq ft of workspace, 677 flats, green space and public realm.
The power centre is expected to save 2,400 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of taking 570 family cars off the road.
Bruntwood and Select Property Group are hosting a public consultation event today on the proposals, from 3pm-7pm at Manchester Technology Centre on Oxford Road.
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios was also joint masterplanner with Planit-IE. The Circle Square project team also includes structural engineer Curtins, engineer Cundalls and cost consultant Appleyard & Trew. Office agents are Savills, JLL and Knight Frank.
What on earth…?
By Brian
Love the design! Very interesting and unusual
By David
BETTER!
Still ridiculous to be building 1000s of car parking spaces in the city centre.
By Jonty
Unlike some very underwhelming stuff to the west of here, this may well turn out brilliantly.
By Gene Walker
What an awesome design. Well done Bruntwood / FCB.
FCB look like they’re giving some local practices that perhaps have become a bit complacent some much needed competition (looking at you Sinpson-Haugh).
By Observer
Why is it ridiculous to be building car parking spaces in the city centre? If your job is an office agent, you need to have a car as close to your office as possible in order to get out for viewings – what do you expect them to do to, take a bus/tram? Now that is ridiculous!
By CitySpotter
shockingly bad nothing good about it
By toby
So they’re building a “power centre” which will be “the equivalent of taking 570 family cars off the road” and then providing facilities for 1,100 cars. I don’t see that as a net win. Not exactly progressive.
Especially considering this site is very near Manchester’s main stations, has excellent public transport links, and will located on Manchester’s new flagship cycling facilities along Oxford Road. I wonder if there will be facilities for a fleet of hotel branded hire bikes, like the ones they have in the Netherlands or Copenhagen. Now that would be a talking point.
Not much sign of public realm or green space in those renders either. Even with the artificial gloss it looks quite imposing (and not in a good way).
By Tim
It’s a net win if the power would otherwise come from the national grid fuelled by more polluting fossil fuels. A car park is still needed as well as cycle facilities because people drive cars as well as cycle, therefore need to cater for development’s target market. Also there is a large green space planned for the centre of the site.
What’s with the relentless negativity?
By Observer
I actually love this design, bit of louis kahn in there? A good departure from the norm!
By Ben
Picture looks good.A bit Eastern Bloc.
By Elephant
Grim
By Dave
Egg box on a crate.
By Man on bicycle
Manchester New Town is going to look pretty damn bad when its finished.
By zebith
A really interesting piece of architecture demonstrating budget buildings do not have to look cheap not uninteresting.
Really imaginative, appropriate massing, what’s not to love?
By Place reader
Why does such a prime site have to have a “budget building” in the first place? Greed.
By zebith
we need more UNDERGOUND parking….
By Schwyz
Absolutely disgusting
By Ricky
Zebith – this is not a prime site and car parks are never high spec buildings because they don’t need to be. They’re lfunctional and are usually ancillary, serving other uses such as the enormous amount of residential and commercial uses planned for the rest of this site. Compared to other multi storey car parks and budget hotels built around the city and elsewhere, all things considered, this is an absolutely excellent design. Well done to all involved.
By Place reader
1. As if this isn’t a prime site!
2. If your justification for the building’s budget nature is that its a car park, I would ask why this should be a car park. There wasn’t one previously, and we should be discouraging car use in the city centre, not promoting it.
A bad, bad development. Bleurgh.
By zebith
Zebith – When Realty had it, the entire site was a car park, and a well used one at that. We have to be realistic that in the short term the many many people who are due to live/work/stay at Circle Square will need somewhere to park. If it isn’t provided, there’s a risk people won’t use the new neighbourhood to full capacity, or it will only attract a specific car-less group, such as students or those already nearby.
And if we must build a multi-storey car park, I’d much rather it was one with a bit of distinction, like this one.
By Red
I would class this as a prime site, as it is halfway between the University and Piccadilly. Car parks don’t need to look like the one in Get Carter. The new one in Blackfriars with the stripes is quirky.
By Elephant
If this was a prime site there would be no or very little developable land in the vicinity. In reality there is loads. And this is one of the best and most inventive examples of a car park or budget hotel the city has seen. Get it built.
By Place reader
A site walking distance from two city centre railway stations, on “the busiest bus corridor in Europe”, direct access from the A57(M), surrounded by university buildings… isn’t prime? Did you take your medicine this week?
By zebith
Zebith – the market decides what is a prime site, not bored amateurs or keyboard warriors. Nevertheless I’m glad to see a ‘premium’ design for this less than premium site.
By Place reader
I don’t often agree with Zebith, but I think he or she is right on this being a prime site. It is a cockstride from the billion pounds worth of investment in Manchester university,next to Circle square,near Oxford road station, which will soon be due for a huge expansion, the Village. The Mancunian way overlooks it. it is also quite near to Mayfield.
By Elephant
Okay, the market wins. Totally explains why its such a cheapo nasty awful design.
Manchester is getting worse!
By zebith
Are they going to have direct access in to the car park from the Mancunian Way ‘Sliproad to Nowhere’?
By Unaplanner
Unplanned. What a fantastic idea.
By Elephant
Unaplanner – I believe that is the intention, yes.
By zebith