Kinrise’s Sunlight House transformation progresses
Working with London-based architect Anomaly, the developer is proposing an extensive overhaul of the Manchester office building it acquired for £42m last year.
Kinrise has submitted a planning application for the refurbishment of the grade-two listed Sunlight House to Manchester City Council.
The plans will see the building refurbished and repositioned, with the developer splitting some of the floors into small office suites aimed at companies in the creative, social, and professional sectors.
All of the building’s 14 floors, except space that is currently occupied, will be modernised under the proposals.
A planning statement prepared by consultancy Savills states that more than 80% of the current market demand in the last two years has been for offices smaller than 5,000 sq ft and that dividing floors into smaller suites would be” a significantly positive attraction for this building”.
On the thirteenth floor of the Quay Street building, Kinrise wants to remove a corridor that runs around the office space, a feature that has been a barrier to leasing the space, according to Anomaly’s design and access statement.
The building’s two rotunda rooms at level 13, formed by the stepping of the mansard roof, are to be transformed into meeting roofs.
Kinrise also intends to make the central atrium lightwell accessible for occupiers of the building. At present, it can only be accessed by maintenance staff.
- The rotundas are to be converted into meeting rooms. Credit: via planning documents
- Kinrise plans to make the central lightwell accessible to occupiers. Credit: via planning documents
Colliers is the project manager for the scheme, Hann Tucker is the acoustic consultant and Eckersley O’Callaghan is the structural engineer.
To find out more, search for reference number 136161/LO/2023 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
Abrdn sold the historic 210,000 sq ft Sunlight House to a joint venture between Kinrise and real estate fund Karrev last summer.
Karrev, a fund managed by ValinvestRE, is providing the equity, while Kinrise is to lead on the development strategy, Place North West understands.
Trafford Council has approved a £27m facility from its Asset Investment Fund to support the redevelopment of the grade two-listed Manchester office building.
Kinrise is undertaking a similar project in Liverpool. The developer bought Martins Bank from a subsidiary of Starwood Capital for around £16m in 2021 and is embarking on a comprehensive overhaul of the listed building that will see it converted into offices.
What a typical floor could look like. Credit: via planning documents
Good for them , these older but iconic buildings like Sunlight house and the former Martins Bank are no easy conversion but well worth the effort for the fabric of their respective cities.
By James
This is awesome. Sunlight is an iconic Manchester building. Well done Kinrise!
By Matt