Introducing landmark proposals for the Viadux site in Manchester city centre
Viadux, Salboy
Welcome to our consultation website for the next phase of development on the Viadux site.
Salboy and Domis are excited to announce refreshed plans for the next phase of development on the Viadux site, bringing new residential homes and commercial space to Manchester city centre.
Located in between Manchester Central Convention Complex and Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink Station, proposals include plans for an exciting development that will bring over 900 new homes including approximately 130 affordable homes, a commercial offering, and high-quality public spaces.
Working with renowned architectural practice SimpsonHaugh, these proposals build upon the Viadux Phase One residential development which has been under construction since 2020 and is due for completion by summer 2024.
Identified as a key regeneration priority by Manchester City Council, Viadux Phase Two provides the opportunity to deliver new homes, including affordable properties, to add to the city centre’s housing offer.
The footways and public realm around Great Bridgewater Street and Albion Street will be transformed, bringing this part of the city centre back as a place that people feel safe walking through day or night, and want to spend time. The historic Castlefield Viaduct will be enlivened and opened out for people to appreciate and enjoy.
We’d love to hear your views as we continue to work up the plans that will inform a planning application to be submitted next year. So please have a look around the website or come and chat to us at our consultation event to share your thoughts.
Introducing Salboy
Salboy is an award-winning Salford-based property company, focused on developing and funding high quality housing throughout Greater Manchester. In total, we currently have over 1,200 residential units under construction and over 2,000 in design.
Introducing Domis
At Domis, our purpose is to build inspiring spaces. Formed in 2017, Domis has quickly established itself as an industry leader in construction and development, delivering some of the most complex construction projects in the UK, utilising Manchester and North West designers and subcontractors to deliver a genuinely local product.
Location
View from Lower Mosley Street
The site lies within the heart of Manchester city centre. To the north is the city’s civic quarter, home to some of Manchester’s most important heritage assets and public spaces, including the Grade II* Manchester Central immediately to the north. To the south, Manchester’s now iconic collection of residential towers have changed the city’s skyline, even since the original Viadux development was approved in 2017.
The majority of the site comprises the Grade II Listed Castlefield Viaduct. At ground level, the area around the site is a missing link in the streetscape, discouraging people from walking from one area to the next.
This sensitive and dynamic townscape demands a building of the very highest design quality, that protects and celebrates the quality of the Victorian viaduct arches, whilst making a genuinely positive contribution to Manchester’s skyline and returning the streetscape to its citizens.
A prime location
Site boundary
Located close to Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink and Deansgate train station, the site provides excellent connectivity with convenient access to local, regional and national rail services as well as access to Metrolink, all within a desirable city centre setting.
Thanks to its city centre location, the site is within easy walking distance of a wide range of employment opportunities, services and amenities which includes the Oxford Road Corridor: a world class innovation district and home to the Universities and other key institutions.
However, despite its prime location, current access to transportation and amenities is hindered by a lack of pedestrian pathways and clear routes in and around the site. This situation creates a sense of detachment from the rest of the city centre. These proposals aim to improve connectivity, unlocking the development’s full potential in terms of integration with its city centre surroundings.
Metrolink
Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink Stop
Regeneration context
Viadux Phase Two is situated within the heart of Manchester city centre, a pivotal part of the Great Northern, Manchester Central, and Castlefield Quay Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) from 2017. This strategic framework embodies a set of overarching principles.
Constraints - An impermeable City Quarter
Opportunities - Ground Floor
Opportunities - Upper Level (Viaduct)
Attractive, welcoming, safe and legible connections that successfully navigate the site’s significant level changes and provide a fantastic arrival experience into this part of the city centre.
An animated area with high quality public spaces and a critical mass of high-quality city centre uses that create strong functional connections to the area (to complement the new physical connections) as well as supporting the strong economic growth trajectory of Manchester.
Taller buildings which complement the adjacent Beetham Tower – the development of taller buildings in the area has already begun which is reflected in the development of Axis, 325 Deansgate and Great Jackson Street.
Viadux Phase One
Salboy and Domis are already on site delivering Viadux Phase One. This development will create a significant number of high-quality homes to help meet the growing housing demand within the city centre.
Upon completion, this development will provide 362 residential apartments, alongside high quality, internal and external residential amenity spaces, helping to create a sense of place on this previously vacant site. These proposals will also improve pedestrian access and help to create a safe and welcoming environment for residents, workers and visitors to the area.
Phase Two proposals
The proposals for Viadux Phase Two will complete the creation of a successful new neighbourhood at the heart of Manchester city centre:
c.780
New high quality homes in a 76-storey building.
c.130
Affordable homes in a 23-storey building that contribute towards the need for city centre affordable housing.
Commercial and public realm space to compliment a world-class neighbourhood that will help to meet the growing demand for city centre living whilst also bringing both economic and environmental benefits to the area.
Design
Viadux Phase Two will create an attractive composition of buildings which fit perfectly into this part of the city centre, building upon the Viadux Phase One design principles, and completes the city centre block which extends from Deansgate to Albion Street.
Viadux Phase One, which is already under construction, is a simple and elegant building with a façade design which makes use of projecting vertical fins to create depth and visual interest to the longer elevations. Innovative Y-shaped columns have been used to ensure minimal intervention into the viaduct structure itself. The building creates a strong marker at the end of Watson Street and frames the view towards the newly formed public realm stair and lift, which has been built as part of the Phase One works.
Phase Two follows the same design principles as Phase One, but look to increase the level of ambition further still. The Viadux Phase Two tower will become the focal point of this cluster of tall buildings and provide a make a visually striking addition to Manchester’s skyline.
Masterplan
Site layout
As a whole, the Viadux masterplan benefits from a simple layout that ensures the proposed buildings have a strong relationship to each other and to the surrounding urban context.
The land in between the Beetham Tower and Viadux Phase One has approval for an office building, approved as part of the Beetham Tower development, but never delivered. This site will be redeveloped as a new distinctive diamond shaped building, to be delivered as new affordable homes in the heart of the city centre. The building will be elevated above the public realm stair and lift with new shops or cafes opening onto the viaduct.
Moving east, beyond Viadux Phase One, the new 76-storey residential tower will replace the previous plans for a large office on the site. It will be linked to Viadux Phase One by a podium which will cover the existing service yard. On top of the connecting podium, a south facing landscape deck will provide external outdoor space for residents from both phases to use. Building entrances and other amenity spaces will be located at ground level, within the impressive arches that form the historic viaduct structure.
To complete the wider city block, we are exploring options to place a smaller retail building facing onto Albion Street to create a new edge to the city street. This could provide a local supermarket or other amenity for local residents and workers. The design consists of a simple two-storey triangular building which redefines the street edge and improves the pedestrian environment.
Ground Floor Plan
Level 03 Plan
Level 01 Plan
Typical Residential Level
Building design
The overall design ethos for the Viadux site is to create a collection of buildings that complement each other and create a distinguishable and elegant tall building cluster that will be visible from a variety of perspectives, distances and viewpoints. The simple forms respond to the wider city centre context and vertical form.
The tallest 76-storey building will create an elegant silhouette which will become an iconic feature in the skyline. The inclined faces of the façade will catch light differently, creating a dynamic response to changes in light conditions resulting from the time of day/year, weather conditions or viewer’s perspective.
Due to the building’s height, a transfer truss will be used to minimise intervention to the viaduct structure and will lift the building above the podium.
The 23-storey affordable housing building has been designed to maximise the site footprint by fitting closely to the edge of the viaduct structure, bringing new life to this unfinished and logistically challenging site. The building will sit beneath the Beetham Tower Cloud 23 Bar & Restaurant, ensuring that views from the residential apartments above are uninterrupted.
Phase 2A Tower Design and Precedent
Consideration of microclimate
We understand the importance of creating a comfortable and sustainable living environment for existing and future residents and pedestrians along Great Bridgewater Street and Albion Street. We have undertaken a thorough analysis of the microclimate impacts associated with the development including daylight, overshadowing and wind impacts, all of which have influenced the overall form of the building and landscaping that is being proposed.
We have carefully shaped the tower to reduce wind loading, and ensure safe wind conditions and pedestrian comfort at street level.
Improving public spaces
One of our main goals is to improve the public spaces in the area, in particular along Albion Street and Great Bridgewater Street. We're also preserving and enhancing the historic viaduct, making it easier and more pleasant to move around this important part of the city centre and access key public transport hubs.
Landscaping and streetscape
The landscape design covers the ground level along Albion Street and Great Bridgewater Street as well as private roof gardens on the second level.
The ground level public realm has an important role in addressing the interface between the streetscape and the impressive building frontages, both old and new. It offers an attractive approach to the main building entrances with opportunities for seating.
Removal of a further section of the bridge above Great Bridgewater Street along with introduction of high-quality materials will make the experience along it much safer and more welcoming. It will also allow people to see into and access the grandeur of the arches under the viaduct.
On Albion Street the kerb line has been pushed out to afford a more generous allowance for public realm and to create a safer and more efficient pedestrian route into the city.
Planting, in the form of rain gardens and tree planting is proposed along the street to provide a green buffer, making the pedestrian experience much improved on the current state, whilst also aiding sustainable drainage. The Metrolink bridge creates a unique sheltered space which could be programmable throughout the year.
The roof gardens provide valuable amenity and green space for residents of Phase One and Two. The design narrative is guided by the intent to create a space for everyone, and maximise access to sunlight. It is also important that the layout is visually appealing from above.
Next steps
The consultation on our proposals for Viadux Phase Two closed on Friday 22 December 2023.
If you would like to ask any questions, please email: info@viadux2-consultation.co.uk
The project team will consider all of the feedback received before finalising the proposals and submitting a planning application.
Subject to planning approval, we are looking to start work on the site in 2024.
Drop-in event
As part of the consultation, we held an in-person drop-in session open to all. This session was an opportunity to learn more about the proposals, talk to project team members, and provide feedback on our plans.