The Green Building and Nursery, Manchester
2000-2005

The Green Building is set in Macintosh Village, the Southern Gateway to the remarkable transformation of Manchester City Centre. The Green Building occupies a site adjacent to the river Medlock, and is an important component of the Macintosh Village masterplan. The iconic, circular structure of The Green Building makes the most efficient use of its quirky triangular site, creating a dramatic impact within its landmark setting.

Conveniently located for the city centre, the Green Building provides a mixed-used complex, created for comfortable, modern and sustainable use. In addition to 32 apartments, there is a 120-place pre-school nursery, a doctor's surgery and 1870 sq. ft., of commercial accommodation set over three floors.

The Green Building has a number of striking design elements, including a high-specification ten-storey cylindrical 'drum' housing the apartments, a dark blue-brick 'plinth' designed for the nursery school, complemented by a timber-faced rectangular 'tower.' The nursery accommodation is enclosed by a sloping wall with playfully composed openings allowing differing height views for children and adults. This wall terminates with a corner feature that marks the doctor's surgery at an entry point to the site's historic core.

The avant-garde Green Building drum is clad in a softly-sheening, recyclable insulating material in cool green with contrasting cedar wood panels, set in a grid design. Brightly coloured sections are interspersed with floor-to-ceiling glazed panels and generous timber-framed windows, bringing vivacity and natural light to the open environment. Tiered galvanized steel private balconies project out of the curved façade in three columns, offering wide views of the urban landscape of the village.

Designed with environment-friendly issues high on the agenda, the Green Building is one of the most advanced ecological residential and educational developments in Britain. The circularity of The Green Building is more than a striking architectural statement. The design offers the smallest surface area related to the volume of the structure, providing optimum insulation and making measurable energy consumption savings possible year-round. Every aspect of the construction and maintenance of The Green Building has been examined to minimise energy wastage through radical design. Day-to-day energy consumption is minimized 'passively' through the design of a highly energy efficient envelope wrapping the structure of the building and 'actively' through installing highly efficient plant and equipment for heating, ventilation and light. Yet the Green Building is designed in such a way as to ensure that nothing is lost aesthetically in aiming for ecological soundness. The exterior and bright, flexible interiors have been devised to respond to demand for the best in comfortable and stylish living.

The Green Building is the recipient of a 2006 national Civic Trust Award and also a special Civic Trust Award for �Sustainability.�