The new neighborhood developed by Mecanoo is located at the former Metropolitan University campus in the heart of the Manchester.
Utilising the qualities of the Victorian brick canal-side warehouses and the 1964 concrete tower – presents the opportunity to develop at the city block scale, creating new connections and a new destination.
As the authors explain, “KAMPUS will celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the city with respect to the historic quality of Canal Street.”
Individual building blocks with variations in height make each facade look legible. The windows are changing their positions on the facades in order to reduce the scale of the brick mass and also to add relief and balance to the facades.
The buildings are horizontally divided into three distinct elements: a podium with dark profiled metal cladding, a mid-section with rough-textured red brickwork, and a roofscape characterised by Dutch houses also clad in profiled metal. The podium anchors the new build and tower elements in a consistent base while creating a defined edge to the street.
The glazed plinth offers the visitors views into a variety of independent bars, cafes, shops, and restaurants.
The interesting spaces between the buildings will draw people into the heart of the scheme and a unique ‘secret garden’ forms the perfect backdrop for the afternoon and early evening social events.