One St Peter's Square

One St Peter's Square

One St Peter's from The Cenotaph
General information
Status Complete
Type High rise office
Architectural style Modern classical
Location St Peter's Square, Manchester,
Greater Manchester,
England, UK
Coordinates 53°28′38″N 2°14′42″W / 53.477205°N 2.244991°W / 53.477205; -2.244991Coordinates: 53°28′38″N 2°14′42″W / 53.477205°N 2.244991°W / 53.477205; -2.244991
Current tenants KPMG
Construction started May 2012
Completed 2014 (planned)[1]
Cost £60 million[2]
Height 60 metres (200 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 14
Floor area 268,000 sq ft (24,900 m2)
Design and construction
Architect Glenn Howells
Main contractor Carillion[3]
Website
onestpeterssquare.com
References
[4]

One St Peter's Square is a high rise office building in Manchester, England. It is situated in St Peter's Square in the city centre.

Elisabeth House

The previous building on the site was the concrete Elisabeth House, an office block which was built in 1960 and had weathered badly. It was originally meant to be clad in stone to keep with its context but for financial reasons the exposed concrete was not clad.[5] Demolition of Elisabeth House, by now derelict, began in late 2011 and the building was fully removed by April 2012.[6]

New building

The building was first proposed in 2009,[7] and was granted planning permission in 2010.[8] The scheme was approved in July 2011,[9] and a 25% pre-let of the building by professional services firm KPMG enabled construction to begin.[10] One St Peter's consists of 268,000 sq ft (24,900 m2) of Grade A office space.[11]

Construction began in May 2012 and was due to be completed in early 2014 to coincide with completion of the Central Library and Town Hall redevelopment. It is currently undergoing internal fit out and was completed in late 2014.[12] Concern over the building's height surfaced during the construction of the core. One local observer said the building "is at least four stories too tall on the site and the lift core alone makes the neighbours cower".[13] The building fronts onto Midland Hotel, Central Library and Town Hall Extension – all Grade II* listed buildings.

The columns supporting the building are on the outside, thus avoiding unwelcome columns in the office space. The exterior columns are clad in limestone rather than concrete. The choice of limestone was exacerbated by the need to remain in context with listed buildings in the vicinity and the desire to avoid weathering which is often seen in concrete.[5] A three-storey glazed balcony tops the building and features a curved, overhanging roof complete with spotlights.

Situated in Manchester's historic district, the building was needed to meet strict conservation area rules. One St Peter's was designed in a simple modern classical style with high quality Jura limestone columns to fit in with the Central Library opposite. A sweeping top floor balcony perches out over St Peter's Square providing a focal point for passers-by. The new building forms part of the new civic space for St. Peter's Square. As part of the plans, the Central Library and Town Hall Extension were renovated (a process which began in 2010 and was completed in 2014) and the landscaping of the square with trees.[6]

Three further high-rise office blocks are proposed adjacent to One St Peter's; a 14-storey building named Landmark on the site of the former Odeon cinema, a 12-storey building on land currently occupied by Century House (known as Two St Peter's Square)[14] and an 11-storey block to the east (known as 3 St Peter's Square[15]).

Occupancy

One St Peter's Square from Oxford Street, August 2014

In May 2014 it was reported that the restaurant chain San Carlo is set to open its fifth Manchester venue, launching a 5,500 sq ft (510 m2) restaurant in One St Peter’s Square in late October-early November 2014.[16]

As of February 2015, approximately 40% of the floorspace has been leased. KPMG confirmed in July 2014 that it was taking an additional 10,500 sq ft (980 m2) of office space across half of the 10th floor. They had initially agreed to take 63,000 sq ft (5,900 m2) across the upper three floors.[12] In December 2014, law firm DLA Piper agreed a 15-year lease for 45,000 sq ft of space on floors eight and nine. The firm will move in mid-2016 once the lease at Barbirolli Square expires.[17]

The Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund (GMPVF), part of the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, invested £10 million in the development.[18]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to One St Peter's Square.
  1. ↑ "One St. Peter's Square – Programme". Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  2. ↑ "Carillion wins £60m Manchester office job". constructionenquirer.com. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  3. ↑ "Carillion Lands 1 St Peter's Square Job". Manchester Confidential. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  4. ↑ "One St Peter's Square". skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  5. 1 2 "St Peter's Square". Manchester History. Retrieved 2013-08-15. The east side of the square is dominated by a dreadful concrete and glass building called Elizabeth House that was completed in 1960. It was apparently meant to be clad in stone but for financial reasons that never happened.
  6. 1 2 "New design for Manchester's St Peter's Square revealed". BBC News. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  7. ↑ "Howells Elisabeth House Plans Revealed". skyscrapernews.com. 18 September 2009. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  8. ↑ "Approval for major Manchester building". worldarchitecturenews.com. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  9. ↑ "Squires Peterloo House Scheme Approved". skyscrapernews.com. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  10. ↑ "KPMG picks 1 St Peter's Square for new home". Manchester Confidential. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  11. ↑ "One St Peter's Square – Introduction". Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  12. 1 2 "KPMG adds extra space at new home at One St Peter’s Square". 16 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-02.
  13. ↑ Griffin, Phil (15 October 2012), "Stirling Prize, 2012, Manchester: Observed", Manchester Confidential, retrieved 2012-10-16
  14. ↑ "No2 St Peter's Square". Retrieved 2014-09-07.
  15. ↑ "3 St Peter's Square". Retrieved 2014-09-07.
  16. ↑ "San Carlo to open fifth Manchester restaurant". Retrieved 2014-09-02.
  17. ↑ "DLA Piper confirms One St Peter’s Square deal". Place North West. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 2015-02-09.
  18. ↑ http://www.professionalpensions.com/professional-pensions/news/2118335/bt-gmpf-invest-st-peter-s-sq
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