Co-operative’s new sustainable headquarters design revealed
Manchester remains base for group that started out 1863
The 3DReid design for The Co-operative Group’s new head office building in Manchester has been revealed. The architects will be working with multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold and contractor Gardiner & Theobald, with Jones Lang LaSalle and WHR acting as commercial agents to deliver the state of the art building.
The new building which will be built on land on Miller Street, opposite the Co-operative Insurance tower, will serve the UK’s largest mutual retailer which now has a turnover of over £13 billion.
The building will include around 320,000 sq ft of open plan office space on 16 storeys, providing a modern working environment and facilities which will allow greater freedom for flexible working by staff.
The Co-operative Group Chief Executive Peter Marks explained: “The Co-operative Group was born and raised in Manchester. Our decision to build our new headquarters here is another clear sign of the renaissance of our business and our confidence in the future. Our new head office will not only enable us to continue our commercial contribution to city life but will also play a part in helping to make Manchester a 21st century leader in sustainable development.”
Mark Phillip, group director for structures at Buro Happold commented, “The Co-operative Group’s focus on high quality sustainable development and exemplar workplace practice has created an exciting engineering opportunity for the whole design team to deliver.”
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We are delighted that an organisation as closely associated with Manchester as the Co-operative Group remains so committed to the city. This welcome investment will act as a catalyst for further employment and regeneration opportunities in the surrounding area.
The new headquarters will represent the first phase in the redevelopment and regeneration of the Group’s 20-acre site, located at the city’s Northern Gateway and bounded by Miller Street and Corporation Street. The Group will be encouraging staff to make full use of the excellent public transport facilities close to the site and car parking provision will be reduced.
Marks added: “We recognise the historic importance of our present premises and we occupy a number of buildings on the site. However, they do not provide the kind of working environment which we want for our business and our employees in the years ahead.
“The new building will be good for our business, good for our staff, good for the communities which surround it and good for Manchester.”
A planning application to Manchester City Council is expected in July. If planning permission is granted, work will start on the building at the beginning of next year with occupation scheduled for mid 2012.
Project team
Client:
The Co-operative Group
Architect:
3DReid
Buro Happold services:
Building services engineering, structural engineering, ground engineering, fire engineering, facades, Happold safe and Secure, information communication & technology, inclusive design, lighting technologies, daylight analysis, Part L, post occupancy analysis, sustainability advice, BREEAM, waste consultancy, acoustics consultancy, ecology consultancy, air quality assessment
Project Manager & Quantity Surveyors: Gardiner & Theobald
Note to Editors
Buro Happold
Press office and practice information at www.burohappold.com
Images are available on request.
For more information, please contact:
Gill Sincock
Press and PR Manager
Tel: +44 (0)1225 320600
Fax: +44 (0)8707 874148
Email: gill.sincock@burohappold.com
Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. It offers civil and structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, quantity surveying, building services and environmental engineering, health and safety management, infrastructure and traffic engineering, ground engineering, façade engineering, fire engineering, computational fluid dynamics analysis, inclusive design consultancy, project management, urban design and a range of specialist CAD services.
Categories: Press Releases, Commercial office, Building services engineering, Structural engineering, Fire engineering, IT communications & control, Inclusive design, Lighting, Acoustics, Geotechnical, United Kingdom
