Place Capital acquires MCAU in its third deal of 2022

Dave Skidmore (second left) with MCAU team

Manchester-based Place Capital Group (PCG) has acquired design and regeneration practice MCAU (Modern City Architecture and Urbanism) for an undisclosed sum.

MCAU, which has operations in Liverpool and Manchester, was founded by Dave Skidmore, who was formerly a board director at Broadway Malyan and who has also worked in the property development sector.

The practice’s senior team joining PCG have significant experience in mixed use town centre and heritage-led regeneration, urban PRS Schemes and family housing projects.

MCAU’s notable projects include Ashton Old Baths, where a Listed Grade 2* former public baths was imaginatively repurposed as modern offices and a data centre.

Others include the award-winning Welsh Streets scheme in Liverpool where hundreds of derelict terraced homes were remodelled into an award-winning PRS community.

MCAU is PCG’s third foray into the architecture and urban design sector this year.

It established the London-based design practice Grounded and acquired the Manchester community-focused practice Loop Systems.

Place Capital Group was formed by David Smith-Milne and Peter Martin in early 2021 to work with some of the UK’s largest local authorities and landlords to regenerate neglected housing estates and deliver affordable housing.

PCG is on track to deliver more than £4.7m of turnover by the end of 2022, its first full year of trading.

MCAU will merge with Loop into one combined studio at PCG’s offices in Castlefield, bringing staff numbers to 25 at its 3,200 sq ft Manchester office. In addition, 15 London-based staff work in an office close to Borough Market.

Dave Skidmore said: “I have worked with David Smith-Milne for many years now in a number of guises, and so we totally get the PCG vision to bring real innovation to the estate regeneration and place making sectors.

“With the PCG backing we anticipate significant growth over the remainder of this year and into 2023.”

David Smith-Milne said: “MCAU is a respected and award-winning studio of high quality, experienced designers. They complement our existing teams and give us additional scale and projects, and we look forward to working with Dave and his team to grow the business.”

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