The Port Street site is located on the fringe of Manchester city centre, close to the Northern Quarter, Ancoats Urban Village, and New Islington. Port Street provides direct links to vibrant cultural and commercial activity of the city centre and north to Ancoats, whilst Great Ancoats Street provides a major route around the city centre core. The site is within easy walking distance of the central retail and commercial districts of Manchester city centre.
The scheme will provide 481 residential units, ancillary space, and retail space, plus a basement car park. It comprises a tower element that relates to the urban scale and a podium building that steps up in height from 7, 9, and 11 storeys to respond to the immediate context.
The material palette includes Unitised Curtain Wall panels for the tower and traditional brick for the podium. These have been carefully chosen to complement each other.
Regarding the tower, the North and East elevations are flat, and their flat natures aim to obtain interesting sky reflections. The South and West elevations incorporate projecting fins into the composition, adding a layer of texture and shadow to be read from the city.
The podium façade is designed with a combination of brick and aluminium. This responds to the immediate context whist linking the podium with the tower. The colour palette chosen for the brick relates to the local red brick and terracotta traditionally used in the area.
The rhythm of windows and brick piers varies depending on what they face, changing gradually to respond to the different aspects of the context.