A building in the centre of Manchester is to be extended by two stories as part of a £6m project.
Bluefig Investments has secured planning permission to redevelop and expand 55 Mosley Street in Manchester city centre. The plans will see two floors added to the landmark office building meaning that it will provide 13,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation as well as a comprehensive refurbishment of the existing interior. Bluefig Investments acquired the building in December 2017 and employed architectural practice, Hawkins\Brown to design the new scheme. The contract for the construction of the extension and refurbishment is about to go out to tender. Faris Mousa, managing director of Bluefig Investments, said: “This strategically located prime office building not only benefits from the extensive investment that has been ploughed in to St Peter’s Square over the last few years but as it is situated close to one of the key gateway entrances to the city and with the new tram stop on its doorstep, it seems obvious that this building is overdue a revamp. “The Manchester office market remains one of the most stable and buoyant sectors in the country and whilst many developers are continuing to hedge their bets on speculative developments pre Brexit, I am confident that 55 Mosley Street will appeal to a number of occupiers currently looking for exceptional new office space in the city. “We have a fantastic team supporting this project and are excited to be delivering a very special scheme that embraces the future ways in which we operate by creating an inspiring and productive working environment.” Tom Dobson of Hawkins\Brown adds: “The redevelopment of 55 Mosley Street has presented an exciting opportunity to regenerate a prominent city centre building to provide new contemporary workspace. “Working in close collaboration with the client and consultant team, we established a clear narrative and vision for the project that was crucial in developing the design. “The distinction between the original fabric and new interventions has been designed to create a clear legibility and definition that celebrates a new period in the building’s history and encourage tenants to adopt new ways of working, whilst recognising its former use as an industrial warehouse.” The reconfiguration of the internal spaces has included the integration of a new entrance and reception area to engage and activate the building at street level.
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Exploring the cities of Europe, you will find endless varieties of amazing architecture, from humble homes to unrivalled shows of extravagance.
On any trip abroad, I will usually discover a selection that I really admire, and I have begun writing about my favourite locations in this blog (Faris Mousa: Valencia San Sebastian) My most recent adventure was a few days spent with my family in Rome, enjoying a city deeply rich in culture and history. And while there is much about the Italian capital to love and report back about, I think the Pantheon deserves a blog all of its own. It’s not easy standing head and shoulders above all else in a city which was once the centre of the known world and still houses some of the most culturally significant locations of modern times, such as the Vatican. But I have never before seen such a stunning example of human ambition, ingenuity and achievement. Around the outside stand 24 columns, which weigh 80 tonnes each and had to be transported all the way from Egypt using a clever underwater system. The enormous, 142 ft roof was constructed without any visible support or reinforcements. A 25 ft aperture at the top provided the building’s only light source, which would no doubt have been an even more incredible sight when all of its original treasures will still on display. The Roman empire may not have lasted, but many of its ideas and innovations did. Not only did they invent concrete, which remains one of the most versatile and durable construction materials, but the Pantheon’s dome is still the largest cast-concrete construction in the world. Evidence, maybe, that nobody has done it better in the nearly 2,000 years since the Pantheon’s construction. |
AuthorFaris Mousa is an entrepreneur based in Manchester who has worked on many residential and commercial projects. Faris Mousa is Director of Bluefig Investments (UK) Limited. It is a property investment and urban regeneration company. The company was incorporated on 2nd December 2014 and has registered offices located at 260 – 268 Chapel Street, Salford, Manchester, M3 5JZ Archives
July 2023
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