Bruntwood secures planning approval for The Alberton

Bruntwood has received planning approval for a new workspace and leisure destination, ‘The Alberton’, which is set to debut in Manchester city centre. The approval marks the evolution of the firm’s Pioneer offering. The current Alberton House will be replaced with an 18-storey office building, housing the UK’s highest workspace pool. According to Bruntwood, the development will prompt “considerable” job creation across building management, hospitality provision and customer expansion, estimated to support 1,740 full time employees and an annual GVA contribution of £131m. Designed by EPR Architects and occupying the historic site of Manchester’s first gas works, The Alberton is said to “represent the city’s industrial past in a contemporary aesthetic”, with nods to its industrial heritage throughout the building’s architecture. It is set to complete towards the end of 2025, with works due to begin early next year. The Alberton is a key location within Manchester City Council’s St. Mary’s Parsonage Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF), which also includes the redevelopment of the grade-II listed Kendal Milne building and Bruntwood’s Blackfriars House and King’s House. The building will feature a rooftop holistic wellness centre, a “first of its kind” in the UK office market. As well as the performance lap pool, it will also feature a hydrotherapy vitality pool, hot and cold treatment rooms, physio room, changing and shower facilities. On the 17th floor, approved plans include a landscaped panoramic roof terrace with views across the city, as well as an events space and customer lounge. There will also be an additional food and beverage outlet on the 18th floor. The Alberton’s publicly accessible ground floor will feature a hospitality offering across the entire floor, including a full-service restaurant, bar and coffee shop. Meanwhile, the ground floor mezzanine will feature a coworking lounge and a variety of meeting rooms, with Bruntwood Works’ full product stack available throughout the building. This includes Pay As You Go coworking day passes, through to Made and Managed bespoke offices. A fully equipped gym will feature on the lower ground floor, as well as a cycle hub complete with showers, changing and vanity areas, lockers, cycle repair station and cycle storage, including Brompton bike lockers, promoting active commuting. The cycle hub will be accessible via a dedicated lift as well as a ramped walkway The Alberton will also operate at net zero carbon and is targeting BREEAM New Construction 2018 Excellent Rating and NABERS UK Design for Performance Agreement 5.5 star. The development will feature glazing detailing to reduce solar gain and ambient loop heating and cooling to allow for greater efficiency and zonal control. The Alberton will also recycle and reuse materials and furniture where possible to ensure minimal waste. Bruntwood Works, the workspace, retail and leisure brand of the Bruntwood Group, will develop and deliver the building, which will become the flagship in its Pioneer programme. Ciara Keeling, CEO of Bruntwood Works, said: “Gaining planning approval for The Alberton marks another landmark moment in our efforts to revolutionise the workspace, not just in Manchester but across the UK. We have always been focused on customer wellbeing and these plans launch us even further into the journey of creating workspaces that champion work/life balance. The importance of this has never been greater, as our society faces considerable challenges. “The Alberton will provide an exemplary model of what workspaces can achieve, going further than we ever have in our Pioneer programme. This is particularly evident in the holistic wellness centre that will act as the heart of the development and offer our customers an unrivalled wellbeing experience. This level of amenity will help businesses offer staff the ultimate workspace experience, encouraging a greater return to the office whilst supporting a healthy work/life balance.”

Bruntwood secures planning approval for The Alberton

The current Alberton House will be replaced with an 18-storey office building, housing the UK’s highest workspace pool

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