Contractor chosen for Deansgate office demolition
Bolton company Forshaw Demolition has won the contract to demolish two interlinked buildings at 123-127 Deansgate in Manchester, to make way for a £70m office planned by Worthington Properties.
Designed by Glenn Howells Architects, the 125,000 sq ft building was approved by Manchester City Council in December 2015.
The two properties at the site, which includes Lincoln House, were previously occupied by Pannone, now part of Slater & Gordon and based on Mosley Street, and were formerly owned by the Co-operative Group, Pannone partners and a pension fund.
When completed, the new building at 125 Deansgate will include 113,500 sq ft of office space and a further 12,100 sq ft of retail space over two units.
The office will face the entrance to Spinningfields and form part of the wider redevelopment of Brazenose Street and Lincoln Square.
What about St John’s House? Now it will be by far the ugliest building along Deansgate.
By Baggins
A reasonable design. Better than a lot of the other dross being built around the city
By Gregg
There’s plenty of good designs going up, this, the Assembly Building, 2 St Peter’s Square, Origin, no 1 Spinningfields, XYZ Building, Circle Square, Angel Gardens to name a few.You need to com[are that to other regional cities to realise that’s pretty good.
By York Street
It states 3 buildings being dropped and a contact states he is ripping out. However people are saying that John Dalton House – is not being demolished- ie only 123 Deansgate and Lincoln House are – which makes no sense at all.
Does the writer or others know the true position? Is this article accurate?
By Terry
Why should you have to compare to other cities to think it was good? A good design is a good design, a crap design is a crap design. This is reasonable, that’s all.
By Gregg
Gregg doesn’t like Manchester. that’s all
By Welshie
Quite. Its because of buildings like this
By Gregg
What is the Assembly building?
By Elephant
Yet another drab building designed and costed by accountants. Manchester is rapidly consigning itself to mediocre architecture.
Can the next building design please not involve this dreadful exoskeleton which seems to be à la mode?
By Josk
Yet more ignorant moaning. You do realise that the Rylands Library opposite has an exoskeleton? They’re called walls.
This is quality.
By Small talk
I was actually relatively kind about this building, but its not some kind of anti-Manchester thing… Josk’s point hits the nail on the head. When people complain about poor architecture, lack of urban realm, crappy materials, etc, we’re told to be grateful because Manchester is “just” a regional city and look what others have.
Surely the point of Manchester’s aspiration, and the “Northern Powerhouse” agenda is to recognise the city in its own right and support its ambition to be an attractive international city. It really has become a dumping ground for uninspiring rubbish, and while there’s a buzz around the place now because stuff’s actually getting built, I’m skeptical of the long-term legacy. Half the jobs here seem to be associated with development too…
By Gregg
But this IS an international quality commercial building. People just like to moan rather than think and use their critical faculties properly.
By Small talk
Thank you for clearing up the Assembly building.It is the one next to the Midland Hotel.i thought that it was a regional assembly building for Devolution.I thought that I had missed something.It looks like a mini version of the new skyscraper near the CIS and looks ok.Better than the horror that is there now.
By Elephant
Small Talk, do you think people will be looking back in a hundred years’ time and think, “wow, that is a stunning building”? I certainly don’t. Buildings are a cities legacy. I fear that people in coming decades will look back on this architectural era like we look back on the 1970’s…like a bulldog licking a nettle.
If this building, like many others currently being thrown up around Manchester are deemed to be cutting edge and enduring, then God’s going to have a busy time on his hands saving both the Queen and Manchester.
By Josk
It’s classic modernism josk, done well, and is a style that’s endured for nearly 100 years. So yes, I think people will regard this well in decades to come.
By Small talk