Arkwright House revamp gets green light
THE full refurbishment of Arkwright House office accommodation in Manchester city centre has received planning consent.
Catalyst Capital, the European real estate investment and asset management firm, is behind the scheme for the Grade II listed building in Parsonage Gardens, off Deansgate.
Designed in a neo classical style by local architect Harry S Fairhurst for the English Sewing Company and completed in 1937, it comprises eight floors, totalling 86,970 sq ft.
Catalyst will increase the building’s overall size to just less than 105,000 sq ft, providing individual floorplates of 15,000 sq ft.
Architect, Sheppard Robson, says it has taken a conservation-led approach to the design of the scheme.
Catalyst Capital says it will extend the first- to-sixth floors of Arkwright House, by infilling the three rear light wells, which will be extensively glazed to maximise natural light and deliver a finish that is respectful of this highly-crafted listed building.
New office accommodation will be created at the seventh floor level in the form of an open-plan office suite, comprising 7,000 sq ft with panoramic views to the south.
The ground-floor lobbies will be carefully altered and returned to their original form, providing open space with views directly into Parsonage Gardens.
Works will be undertaken to the stairwells and lifts, and new mechanical and electrical services will be introduced throughout the building.
The basement will be updated with an improved parking layout and the addition of facilities for cyclists, including eight showers.
The transformation of Arkwright House follows similar projects by Catalyst in Manchester at Ship Canal House and 26 Cross Street.
Giles Hall, portfolio manager at Catalyst Capital, said: “The brief was for a full and sympathetic refurbishment and improvement of the existing office accommodation to deliver regular-shaped, flexible floorplates.
“The project will provide a modern air-conditioned office environment within a beautiful historic structure overlooking a garden square.
“It matches new buildings in terms of performance, but is priced at a lower rent.
“The design team has worked hard to target a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’, an EPC rating of ‘B’ and maximum possible compliance with British Council of Offices guidance.”
Construction is expected to begin soon, with completion in 2016. Deloitte Real Estate North West acted as planning consultant for Catalyst. GVA and CBRE are joint leasing agents.
Chris Cheap of GVA said: “Arkwright House sits in a unique location within Manchester’s office core. The access to amenity is underpinned by direct access to a green open space, creating an unrivalled working environment.
“The key to unlocking this building’s potential is to provide a large, efficient, flexible floorplate for today’s office occupier and to improve the interior quality of space in order to create state-of-the-art accommodation set against the backdrop of the building’s original features.”
