Apartment scheme breathes new life in to university site

Project: KAMPUS

Award: Residential, Bronze, 2022

Location: Manchester, UK

Architect: Mecanoo

Client: Capital & Centric and Henry Boot Developments

This vibrant new neighbourhood of over 500 apartments plus independent bars, cafes, shops and restaurants, revitalises the gorgeous Grade II listed Victorian brick canal-side warehouses and 1960s tower on the site of the former Manchester Metropolitan University campus.

A melting pot of buildings and spaces, KAMPUS is a welcome addition to the historic Canal Street area. A podium with dark metal cladding anchors the new build and tower elements and contrasts beautifully with the rough-textured red brickwork and a roofscape characterised by Dutch houses also clad in profiled metal. The alternating positions of accentuated apertures in the façade work to reduce the scale of the brick mass while the light pixel elements add relief and balance to the facades.

One of the few sites in the city centre with level access to the canal, pedestrian links connect the central public space with the waterfront.

Design highlights

The newly landscaped entrances provide access to KAMPUS and the interesting spaces between the buildings will draw people into the heart of the scheme; a unique ‘secret garden’ that forms the perfect backdrop for the afternoon and early evening social events. The “hidden garden” has a festival like atmosphere with integrated vegetation of wild grasses and flowers. It features terraces for the cafes and restaurants divided by strips of vegetation and has a strong link to the canal.