Sheppard Robson reveals designs for City Tower podium

Schroders, working with architect Sheppard Robson, has submitted plans for an events space on the City Tower’s podium, overlooking Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens.

Sheppard Robson’s design features a 2,650 sq ft space above the City Tower’s retail units at ground floor level, which will host co-working and events space, alongside an external terrace.

To accommodate the space, 21 car parking spaces will be removed from the tower’s existing facilities.

It will cantilever out over Parker Street by around 1.4 metres, while the building’s architectural design largely features pre-fabricated materials that can be assembled on-site.

The architect, which is based in the City Tower, has worked alongside planner CBRE on the project.

Schroders purchased the building, featuring 340,000 sq ft of offices, in 2014, and three years later announced a series of new lettings and re-gears with existing tenants.

Sheppard Robson City Tower 1

The structure will cantilever over Parker Street

These include the National Insititute for Health & Care Excellence, which has 46,350 sq ft; Hays, which has 18,000 sq ft; Compass; iHub; and LG Energy.

Rob Cosslett, investment manager at Schroders, said: “We are continually looking for ways in which we can enhance the offering at City Tower for both tenants within the building and prospective occupiers.

“Creating the additional amenity opens up a further part of the building, expanding floor space. It will enable us to offer distinct space and will also allow us to facilitate a wider events programme with extra creative initiatives for tenants to participate in.

“It is important that we are responding to the needs of tenants, the building operates a Cycle Hub which is actively used, we are also pushing forward a health and wellbeing programme which will incorporate further exercise classes so the additional shower facilities will hopefully be very beneficial.”

The professional team on the project also includes Sixteen; FHP; and Verte Sustainability.

Your Comments

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Poundworld and teh arcade are leaving the retail units. Hopefully they will be able to find better tenants, I know that was the plan.

By York Street

Demolish or refurbish the whole thing. It’s an eyesore!

By Steve

The only decent building in that hellhole part of Manchestet was the pagoda roofed building.That was the one they destroyed.The whole place needs razing to the ground.

By Elephant

Excellent. No flocks of birds or redeeming trees or sunlight in the CGI’s. Very Realistic

By Kate Kane

What a view!

By Vincent

that neon bar thing on the podium could be manchester’s first spice bar!

By longstanton spice museum

Straight to comments…some belters…

By Lloyd Hitchmough

For me, this building and the ‘Gardens really sum up Manchester city centre and why it is a miserable, soulless, unwelcoming place. I’m not sure there’s much you could do with it – but I am encouraged that people are continuing to try

By Optimist

That’s England for you, and this is England’s second city!

By GH

Fit for the skip !

By Jen

I love it!

By Anonymous

Oh please just stop trying to polish a turd

By MancLad

Something should be done, but by whom? Nobody cares. When letters are sent asking for comments on new building plans, nobody bothers answering. Is it because nobody (apart from temporary residents: students and young singles) actually lives in central Manchester? There are no long-term residents to care. Manchester is alway where offices, warehouses, works and slums were (today offices and shops). It is not where people want to bring up families. It’s like expecting non-existing residents of an industrial estate what they would like improving. These so-called neighbourhoods do not exist and commuters and shoppers do not care.

By James Yates

James Yates – you hit the nail on the head.

Note how this jars with the supposed aspirations for Manchester and the talk of communities in relation to city centre ilving

By Anonymous

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