Havelock House, situated on Bridgewater Street, Manchester, has undergone a sustainable retrofit of an existing office building, formerly known as Evershed House. The redevelopment featured the addition of two levels to form an extended office space over nine floors, focusing on employee wellness and meeting sustainability goals.
The refurbishment included a new two-storey vertical steel extension, an atrium infill to the existing floor plates, full CAT A fit out and associated support spaces to the ground floor and lower levels. The building entrance has been significantly enlarged and opened up to create a welcoming space that includes flexible working areas. At lower-ground level, amenities such as showers and a wellness studio have been created as well as an entirely new canalside office suite.
The existing masonry façade was demolished and replaced with a new unitised curtain wall and aluminium cladding façade system which is BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ targeted. The entrance needed to be welcoming to staff members and clients while also featuring a focal point that drew people in.
alphaLED’s Micro Series is prominently featured throughout the project, chosen for its low glare and visual comfort. The centrepiece of the design is the pendant cylinders suspended throughout the entrance and reception area, creating a visually captivating focal point.
The redevelopment has taken the building on a major step towards net zero through its new facade, ensuring the retention of 2,000 CO2e of embodied carbon, the equivalent of planting 10,250 trees. In addition to this significant sustainability milestone, the lighting solutions from alphaLED were a key part of the redesign which has created welcoming, flexible working spaces with a focus on employee wellbeing and collaboration.
Project credits:
Client: Bridgewater Manchester (Luxembourg) Holding SARL
Project Manager: Savills
Quantity Surveyor: Gardiner & Theobald
Architect: OMI Architects
Structural Engineer: DP Squared
Services Engineer: Marketaylor LTD
