First view inside One St Peter’s Square

The 273,000 sq ft office building in Manchester city centre is soon to be open for business, with an unusual fit out of the marketing suite to draw in occupiers.

Developer Argent hired interior design agency atDesign to create a full-scale cardboard office fit out within the first floor space, including desktop computers, plants and filing cabinets.

A spokesman for Argent said that the suite was to be used as a blank canvas to allow potential occupiers freedom to interpret the space.

Argent is developing One St Peter's Square in partnership with the Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund. Carillion is the contractor on the scheme.

A pre-let for 63,000 sq ft was agreed with the accountancy firm KPMG in August 2011, with a further 10,500 sq ft signed for in July this year. KPMG is expected to move in by December following a fit out by ID:SR.

Fumo, part of the San Carlo restaurant group, was confirmed as an occupier on the ground floor in May, with a 5,500 sq ft restaurant due to open in November.

Adam Thomas, owner and creative director of atDesign, said: "A large empty office floor has always been a challenge for property marketing. Our idea tackled this whilst practically illustrating exactly how the floor feels when populated and at the same time being innovative, unique and on a grand scale, everything One St Peter's Square is."

Angela Fielding, senior projects director of Argent, said: "It's exciting to do something different, that hasn't been done before in a marketing suite for speculative office space. We've got some interesting ideas for how the furniture can be used in the future, once the building is fully occupied."

The marketing suite will be open from mid-August. Project completion for the building is expected in September.