Student Castle tops out

A ‘TOPPING OUT’ ceremony has been held at Student Castle’s scheme at Great Marlborough St in Manchester today to celebrate the £28.5m building reaching its highest point.

The ceremony, which was attended by Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein, marked the completion of the concrete frame of the 106m-high building, which is now Manchester’s fourth-biggest building, behind Beetham Tower (157m), CIS Tower (118m) and Bruntwood’s City Tower (106m).

The project has been developed by Student Castle, which is a company backed by Carphone Warehouse co-founder Charles Dunstone and CEO Roger Taylor. It has been designed by Manchester-based architects Hodder & Partners and built by Shepherd Construction.

When the 37-storey skyscraper opens in September, it will provide self-contained hi-tech contemporary studios, apartments and cluster flats of up to six bedrooms for 520 students.

Clive Williamson, construction director for Shepherd Construction, said; “We’re delighted to join with Student Castle in celebrating this important milestone as the building will meet the aspirations for 21st century student living and will also provide a new landmark for Manchester’s city centre.”