MediaCity Exemplar Office Building Salford, Manchester Building Development, English Architecture Images
MediaCity Exemplar Office Building in Salford
10 Oct 2022
Architects: Sheppard Robson
Location: Salford, Manchester, England
What was required?
Sheppard Robson gets green light for sustainable exemplar office building at MediaCity, Salford, Manchester. The new development has been designed as a distinct marker building, highlighting the future sustainable and wellbeing credentials of MediaCity
On behalf of a joint venture between Peel L&P and Landsec, Sheppard Robson has received planning permission from Salford City Council, Greater Manchester, paving the way for a new, highly sustainable office building that occupies Plot C3 at the heart of the MediaCity masterplan.
The 350,000 ft2 building has been designed to push forward the sustainable aspirations of the development, targeting BREEAM ‘Outstanding’, Net Zero Carbon, NABERS ‘5*’ rating and WELL Gold.
The net zero carbon target is based on latest guidance from the UKGBC for the performance of office buildings, which will see the building be net zero carbon in operation and the embodied whole life carbon being no more than 600kg per m2, which will be offset by recognised accredited schemes.
The triangular building – located opposite ITV and The University of Salford media campus and close to BBC North – is positioned in the north-west corner of the site, leaving the south-east corner free for 28,000 ft2 of new public realm. This will tie the building to the wider development whilst also adding to the arrival experience into the building.
The architectural language of the building was purposely designed to stand out from the existing buildings at MediaCity, using a different palette of materials to help the 11-storey become a marker for sustainable innovation. The building’s appearance is tied closely with its environmental ambitions. The design’s shading strategy, façade design and placement of balconies have all been modelled to help minimise heat loss as well as offering the floorplates passive solar shading.
As part of the facade design, a variety of materials were investigated in terms of suitability for context and their whole life carbon. Aluminium cladding was selected because of its durability, ability to be reused and also can be sourced partially from recycled materials. The aluminium is Polyester Powder coated with an aquatic green/ blue which is a nod to the building’s environmental credentials and its proximity to the Manchester Shipping Canal.
The same interrogation of materials can also be found inside the building: the concrete frame has been designed to reduce embodied carbon, with a 7.5m column grid minimising large downstand beams, and cement replacement technology within the concrete further reducing the embodied carbon.
Tony O’Brien, Partner at Sheppard Robson, said: “There is a clear ambition to create a building that pushes forward conversations around sustainability and wellness. We also wanted the building to have a civic quality to it, with our design addressing the newly formed public space and also creating a visually permeable structure so passers-by can see the life inside the building.”
The development will take approximately two years to complete. Construction is estimated to start in Summer 2023 but the decision to commence will depend upon market conditions and the economic outlook.
MediaCity Exemplar Office Building, Salford Manchester images/information received 101022 from Architects Sheppard Robson – https://www.sheppardrobson.com/
Location: Salford, Northwest England, United Kingdom
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