Macintosh Mill Masterplan, Manchester
2002-2005

Terry Farrell and Partners' proposals for Manchester's Macintosh Village combine a significant 2-hectare masterplan with detailed plans for 1.7 hectares of refurbished historic warehouses and new buildings. The £130 million scheme centres around the campus of land formerly owned and operated by the Charles Macintosh & Co Ltd Rubber Works. This unique urban district, just a short walk from the city centre, will be at the hub of Manchester's exciting new Southern Gateway, which is undergoing full-scale regeneration.

The scheme comprises the refurbishment of the remaining mill buildings, the construction of a new block and two new 21-storey towers. The buildings, containing 700 residential units plus a number of live/work units, sit within a masterplan designed by TFP to reconnect the former Southern Gateway industrial quarter to the commercial core of the city. The scheme reverses the fortress-like nature of the existing factory buildings, where public access has traditionally been denied. Two abandoned streets have been reinstated to enhance permeability; two new public spaces form the nucleus for a network of pedestrian and cycle routes; and former industrial structures are reused and refurbished as sheltered public spaces and sculptural 'memories' of the site's former use.

The two new towers provide a symbolic gateway and iconic signpost for the area, which harmonises with the existing layout whilst visibly landmarking the redeveloped site to and from the city centre. The tower form is used to release land at ground level for a new civic space that creates a gateway square at the threshold to the scheme.

TFP obtained planning consent for a new building on the site – The Green Building, which is one of Britain's most advanced ecological residential and educational developments. The Green Building has won a national Civic Trust Award together with the 2006 Civic Award in the category of Sustainability.

TFP's masterplan scheme has been welcomed by English Heritage and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and cited as an exemplar for both the quality of design and the contribution it will make to the area in urban design terms.

Restoration of original mill buildings and the creation of stunning new constructions, superb landscapes and newly-designed public spaces will combine to create a stylish and environmentally-friendly community. TFP's objective is to create a long-term permanent and sustainable centre. The emphasis is on regeneration, restoration and reconnection. Central to the masterplan is a commitment to opening up the existing Macintosh Mill site, building on the experience of the past and having respect for what has gone before, modifying and re-using the best of what has been handed down to us rather than demolishing it. Restoration of original buildings will be approached sympathetically, preserving the pattern of age and richness of character of the buildings. Macintosh Village will open up and link, the whole Southern Gateway area to central Manchester. When the development is complete, pedestrian links in all four directions will be established. A new civic space at the gateway to the scheme will become a new heart for the local community, integrating it into the urban fabric.