Circle Square Manchester

Completion is nearing for Creagh Concrete on a new multi-storey car park and hotel at Circle Square in Manchester for Russells Construction on behalf of developer Bruntwood. 

Circle Square is Manchester’s most intriguing new city centre neighbourhood. It will be delivered over three phases with over two thirds of the scheme completed by 2020. The masterplan for the site includes 1.2m sq ft of commercial office space, 1,700 new homes and 100,000 sq ft of ground floor retail and leisure space for shops, studios, bars and restaurants. Creagh’s multi-storey car park and hotel will provide additional amenity to the site and the 250,000 sq ft of beautifully designed public realm will bring much needed green space to the city.

Creagh were enlisted as specialist contractor to design and deliver the mainframe of the car park which is formed in steel decked with hollowcore flooring and brick cladding with bespoke inset brick panels. The first nine floors of the 15-storey hybrid building will encompass a 1014 space car park, with a 158-bed hotel located on top of the car park.

All 315 precast panels are cast in a way that reflects the industrial era design of the architect. In doing so, getting the correct pattern and spacing was crucial as the panels were to be cast without brick pointing, a first for the company. Casting without brick pointing permits the rawness of concrete to be displayed in its natural form and is complimented by the brick pattern.

The combination of the stretcher bond panels and those with radial patterns and apertures in different sizes permits the structure to stand out amongst its competitors of the Circle Square development. Creagh had to effectively use a blank canvas and through several productive consultations with our client and their design team, we were able to display the anticipated façade through 3D modelling and eventually provide a sample which emulated client expectations. 

With three elevations of the carpark complete the vision is now a reality which has received significant positive feedback and comments from the public who have stopped to marvel this masterpiece in precast. The nine-storey carpark is just one part of this prestigious development which also included the design, manufacture and installation of precast stair and lift cores as well as a complete precast solution for a 6-storey hotel atop of the carpark which will be the pinnacle of the Circle Square development.

Built along the busy Mancunian way this project wasn’t without its challenges. There were strict delivery logistics to stick to with only certain entry and exit points allowed. All product was stored offsite and delivered between strict working hours.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios served as concept architect for the car park and hotel, with the design reflecting the city’s industrial past. Inspired by the nearby 19th century warehouses, the building is constructed from a pre-cast concrete panel system, utilising inset bricks which draws on Manchester’s rich links to the grand infrastructure of the Victorian era.