Bruntwood unveils plans for ‘Union’
Commercial property company Bruntwood has unveiled designs for its latest acquisition and redevelopment of the building formerly known as Commercial Union House, directly opposite the Town Hall in Manchester’s Albert Square.
Latterly home to Aviva Insurance, the six-storey 67,000sq ft building will now simply be known as ‘Union’ to reflect the emergence of a new collaborative, creatively-minded business community in the city.
Union will be completely redeveloped to create contemporary, high quality workspace in the heart of Manchester.
Looking directly out over Albert Square, Union will provide unrivalled views of the city’s major cultural and social events including ‘Festival Square’ for the Manchester International Festival (MIF), the internationally-acclaimed Christmas Markets, the Manchester Jazz Festival and the city’s Food and Drink Festival.
Bruntwood is working with Bridge Architects on the project with construction progressing well on-site, and a planned building launch in summer 2017.
When complete, Union, which is just two minutes’ walk from St Peter’s Square Metrolink and Deansgate, will provide five upper floors of workspace, including a fifth floor penthouse suite.
Floor plates range from 9,389 to 10,691sq ft as well as a new ground floor reception and 12,500sq ft of retail space.
All will be refurbished with a modern industrial feel exposing elements of the building fabric and an abundance of natural light provided by new glazing throughout.
The workspaces have been redesigned to allow for additional collaborative and break-out space and Union also provides bicycle storage, secure parking, showers and 24-hour access which are in line with Bruntwood’s commitment to providing the right facilities that customers need.
Ciara Keeling, head of city centre asset management at Bruntwood, said: “We acquired Union last year in response to the ever-growing customer demand for well-designed, contemporary workspace in the heart of the city – and you can’t get more central than opposite the Town Hall.
“Union is surrounded by a wealth of retail and local amenities and is a stone’s throw from the revamped St Peter’s Square, Deansgate and King Street. Having Albert Square on the doorstep with all the opportunities that brings for participation in the city’s cultural event programme, we know will be a huge draw for this space.
“We love the designs for Union and we know it will meet the demands of professional, businesses looking for agile and inspirational workspace in the city with all the benefits and connections that being a Bruntwood customer brings.
“We’ll also be implementing a range of new initiatives into our customer proposition to ensure it continues to meet the needs of our customers.”
