Contractor wins £3m ‘Welcome Wing’ build
MANCHESTER-based constructor HH Smith & Sons has been awarded the contract for the Monastery’s new £3m eco-friendly ‘Welcome Wing’, with building and restoration work due to soon.
The Monastery of St Francis & Gorton Trust, the charity that owns the E W Pugin-designed former Church and Friary in east Manchester, is building a new front wing for the 150-year- old Grade II listed buildings, on the footprint of an original building taken down in the 1960s.
It will provide flexible, purpose-designed and carbon-neutral space, allowing the Trust to expand and extend its facilities and projects for the local community and general visitors, while continuing to host corporate and private events.
With building work expected to be completed this year, it is anticipated that the Welcome Wing will open to the public early in 2017.
Restoration and conservation work in the Great Nave will also see floors repaired, altars stabilised and paint schemes protected and conserved.
The appointment of HH Smith will work alongside a professional team managed by specialist project managers Buro Four.
The scheme is designed by Eco Arc, an ecological architecture practice based in Kendal, Cumbria.
Thge Monastery’s is working towards achieving the ISO20121: Sustainable Event Management Certification.
Monastery Trust chief executive Elaine Griffiths said: “HH Smith is a Manchester-based company and local employer with an outstanding track record.
“We are very impressed with their experience and knowledge, and their approach and values mirror ours. This is the biggest investment we have made in the building since we completed the major £6.5 million restoration work to save the Monastery in 2007. “
HH Smith managing director David Smith said: “This is such a prestigious project and it’s a great honour to be involved.
“HH Smith shares the same values as the Trust and therefore we’re extremely pleased to be able to offer our skills and expertise to make their vision a reality.”
