Curtain walling by
leading UK manufacturer Kawneer has helped to give a listed former Victorian
viaduct a £56 million new lease of life.
Kawneer’s AA®201
unitised or off-site manufactured curtain walling with curved corners and
feature bands clads the first to tenth floors of the Grade A office building
and car park development known as 101
Embankment in Salford, Greater Manchester.
Designed by
architects Flanagan Lawrence, the BREEAM “Excellent” rated offices have been
built by main contractor Carillion on a Grade II listed sandstone viaduct
podium structure that in itself houses three levels of car parking and two
retail units.
The unitised curtain
walling by Kawneer was installed by building envelope contractor Prater at the
rate of up to 30 of the 1,160 panels a day or a complete floor in five days.
The development totals 165,000ft2.
The site in
Manchester’s Greengate regeneration area was part of the former Manchester
Exchange railway station. Embankment 101 is now tenanted by Swinton Insurance
and Q-Park has agreed a 35-year pre-lease for the 442-space car park.
The scheme is
arranged on a series of levels, with the viaduct forming what will be a grand
base for two office buildings which will sit at plinth level nine metres up.
The modern lightweight steel and glass buildings will contrast well with the
robust historic face of the railway embankment.
The existing and
newly-created perimeter arches are the retail units, intended to revitalise the
public realm, while the interior of the podium contains the state-of-the-art
multi-decked car park.
Gary Colleran of
Flanagan Lawrence said: “The majority of the building is glazed and the slim
profiles were key to the aesthetic. The PPC pressed metal channel forms a part
of the unitised system at each slab level, interfacing with louvres at lower
levels and GRP to above.”
The office buildings
will form an important gateway to a major new square beyond the railway.
Accessed via Cathedral Approach, they are located within a dynamic urban
context which optimises its southerly aspect, inviting office workers to enjoy
a calm, green environment.
The scheme in a
previously neglected area overlooking Manchester Cathedral and Deansgate was
developed by Embankment Developments, a joint venture between Ask Real Estate,
Carillion and Tristan Capital Partners.
