Southway Housing Trust HQ
Transforming an existing obsolete office into an activity based headquarters. The client requested a ‘no compromise’, contemporary office that reflects the principles of the business: openness, honesty and ambition.
Southway Housing Trust HQ
Transforming an existing obsolete office into an activity based headquarters. The client requested a ‘no compromise’, contemporary office that reflects the principles of the business: openness, honesty and ambition.
Client. Southway Housing Trust
Location. Manchester
Value & Size. £2.7 million / 18,000 sqft
Services. Architecture / interiors
Status. Completed
We were commissioned to produce a feasibility study for the Southern Gate site for client Southway Housing Trust. From this initial feasibility process, a scheme for a new headquarters was developed into a full planning application. The brief was to develop a high quality internal fit-out, new entrance extension plus associated landscape areas.
The client requested a ‘no compromise’, contemporary office that reflects the principles of the business: openness, honesty and ambition. The key drivers within the brief were to provide a future-proofed and environmentally friendly building, which is both flexible in terms of workspace and future technologies.
We increased the ground floor accommodation and core reception space to 707sqm (GIA), including a 40sqm entrance extension, addressing the gateway location. With a focus on sustainability, we have concentrated on a betterment of the existing fabric and raising the EPC Rating, where we have achieved a 50% improvement across the refurbishment. Alongside this we were commissioned to design the wayfinding and signage around the building.
A bespoke graphics and way-finding strategy was developed and produced in-house. In light of the nature of the business, the brief and vision for the graphics was to provide a homely and friendly language; it needed to be playful and memorable. In response and working with their brand guidelines we developed a suite of bespoke ‘humanised’ icons – using hands instead of arrows and descriptive language instead of formal words.
The project completed in July 2018 and was subsequently shortlisted for both a Mixology North and a BCO Regional Award.
Project Team
Principle Contractor. Ardmac
Project Manager. Saffer Cooper
Structural Engineers. Renaissance
M&E Design Consultants. Project 23
Quantity Surveyors. Gardiner & Theobald
Landscape Architect. Layer Landscape Studio
IT Consultant. Shaw Consulting
Photography. Felix Mooneeram
Existing Site
Concept Sketch
Concept Sketch
Axo Drawing
Concept CGI
“Today has been a great day for Southway. The new building is already proving to be a really positive working environment and our staff all seem very happy with their new home… I just wanted to send you an early thank you. You have been a great team, we have all really enjoyed working with you, and the nearly finished product is exactly what we wanted”.
Karen Mitchell, Chief Executive
Southway Housing Trust
Ground Floor Plan
