Two St Peter's Square
Two St Peter's Square is a high-rise office building in St. Peter's Square, Manchester, England. Designed by SimpsonHaugh and Partners, the scheme was controversial as it involved the demolition of a 1930s Art Deco but unlisted building.[3][4]
| Two St Peter's Square | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | High rise office |
| Architectural style | Modern classical |
| Location | St Peter's Square, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK |
| Coordinates | 53.477205°N 2.244991°W |
| Construction started | 2015 |
| Completed | 2017[1] |
| Cost | £80 million[2] |
| Height | 60 metres (200 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 11[2] |
| Floor area | 162,000 sq ft (15,100 m2)[2] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | SimpsonHaugh and Partners |
| Website | |
| http://twostpeterssquare.com/ | |
Century House
The site of Two St Peter's Square was previously occupied by four buildings: Century House, Sussex House, Bennett House and Clarendon House.[2]
Century House was built in 1934[5] for the Friends Provident Society, a Quaker-friendly society that provided life insurance. It was constructed using Portland stone,[6] and featured a relief sculpture of George Fox,[4] as well as ornate carvings on the side of the six-storey building.[5]
A campaign was started in June 2013 to save Century House.[5] The Twentieth Century Society strongly objected to the plans to demolish the building.[7] Manchester City Council approved the demolition of Century House on 25 July 2013.[8]
Two St Peter's Square
The new building contains 162,000 square feet (15,100 m2) of space over 11 storeys, consisting of 157,000 square feet (14,600 m2) of office space and 5,142 square feet (477.7 m2) of shops, as well as a 43-space basement car park.[4] The building is faced with stone, with a complex lattice structure on the side. Plans were submitted in 2013,[6] and it was completed in early 2017.[1] It was a speculative development, with no pre-arranged tenants.[2]
Separate posts to carry over tram cables were installed in August 2014 so the current assemblage of buildings could be demolished – before these were constructed, the cables were attached to the building structures. Hoardings and scaffolding were installed in November 2014 in preparation for demolition.
As of April 2019, floors 1–5 of the building were occupied by the Department for Work and Pensions and floors 8–10 by Ernst & Young. A coffee shop and a Wagamama restaurant occupied the ground floor.[9]
References
- Young, Natasha (24 March 2017). "Manchester's Two St Peter's Square reaches practical completion". Move Commercial. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- "Dones to unveil £80m tower". Manchester Evening News. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- "Critics hit out at Ian Simpson's St Peters Square office plans". Architects Journal. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- "Century House Bites The Dust: Long Live Two St Peter's Square". Manchester Confidential. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- "The end of the Century? Not if we can help it". Manchester Evening News. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- "Major New Building For City Centre Manchester". Manchester Confidential. 13 May 2013.
- "Century House Manchester threatened by demolition". The Twentieth Century Society. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- "Planning and Highways Committee meeting". 25 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- "Schedule of Areas". Two St Peter's Square. Retrieved 14 April 2019.