I am burning with envy.

It's looking pretty good is this.

The back of Skyline Central

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_0903.jpg

Was a mission digging this one out of the forum.

From today. Excuse the dire quality. Its on my phone, zoomed in and taken with an unsteady hand.

You can just make out that some the glass on the blade that must have been put on very recently.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i182/macc2001/DSC00175.jpg

From the MEN.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/jrb041067/ap.jpg

is it me or is that cladding just 8x4 sheets of ply with a coat of varnish?

looks to me like veneered chipboard.

I know others on this thread like it a lot - but this is a very exposed site. I can't help wondering how quickly the "wood" will come apart.

Looking good. I'm very impressed with the renders of the interior.

For those curious about the cladding, here's a recent article from Building Design magazine.

The cladding is a UK first apparently but has been used extensively on the continent.

No need for a weather forecast

Friday, October 13, 2006

Cellulose-based cladding for a scheme in Manchester was chosen for its longevity.

By Pamela Buxton

Wood cladding may look great on day one, but can so often disappoint as it weathers. So when architect Jacobs Webber wanted a wood appearance for a large residential scheme in Manchester, but without the maintenance or safety issues, it turned to a cellulose-based product previously little used in the UK.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/c/c/g/Manc_9_ready.jpg

Parklex, made by Composites Gurea in Spain, has been extensively used internally and externally on the continent, especially in Holland and Germany. Formed in stratified panels, it consists of layers of cellulose, impregnated with resin and then heat and pressure treated to create a highly durable, lightweight material. This is topped with a sustainably sourced wood veneer that has been pre-treated to make it water and UV resistant.

“We were looking for a material that would be permanently fire-resistant,” says director Martin Miesowicz, referring to the need to regularly treat natural wood above a height of 18m to ensure it complies with fire safety Part B regulations.

Having visited several projects that had used it, including a 10-year-old housing scheme at Java Island in Amsterdam, Jacobs Webber was confident the material would age well, and specified it for its 30,000sq m Skyline Central project for West Properties in Manchester. The practice’s interest in the product helped prompt Composites Gurea to gain the appropriate fire-resistance and impact compliances for the material in the UK.

The 248-apartment scheme on Rochdale Road is part of the redevelopment of a city block in a run-down part of the north-east of the city, now undergoing regeneration. The project is creating two buildings, 11 and 19 storeys high, while a new public space, Goulden Square, is intended as an “inner sanctum” with greenery and water features.

The taller building is entirely clad in Parklex, while the lower uses brick on the external road elevation but Parklex facing the square. It will be the product’s first extensive application in this country, although Jacobs Webber shied away from using it at ground-floor level because of concerns that it might be vulnerable to vandalism. Parklex has, however, been used at ground level on buildings abroad.

The architect chose the warmest and lightest of the five veneer options, known as Ayous. “It’s a very rich, vibrant, natural effect,” says Miesowicz. The veneer worked out around £140 per sq m, cheaper than terracotta, but more expensive than brick. However, it does have the added benefit of speed of installation, being much quicker to put up than brick and not prone to batch inconsistencies.

The product acts as a rainscreen with open joints that give a “very taut” facade, according to partner Nic Jacobs. It is used in combination with Reglit translucent panels, stone render, and a staggered arrangement of windows to break up the verticality of the facade.

The 1,220mm x 2,440mm panels were used both horizontally and vertically to give a more natural, variegated effect. Each 13mm-thick panel is fixed at 800mm intervals. These are attached using visible screws onto metal uprights fixed to an aluminium grid. This, in turn, is mounted on to a Metsec external dry walling system. The 7mm open joints give a neater detail than silicon filler. “We wanted to express the material for what it is, not as a solid exterior,” explains Jacobs.

The architect had initially hoped to use perforated Parklex panels as part of the ventilation system. But this did not give sufficient ventilation performance so instead the practice inset 200 aluminium vents into the panels, which had been pre-cut in the factory to accommodate them.

The first phase of Skyline Central, 12 Rochdale Road, was handed over last month and the second, taller building (10 Rochdale Road), will be completed early next year. Both buildings, which contain predominantly two-bed flats for private sale with duplexes on the upper levels, are entirely pre-sold. A third building, on a site now occupied by Manchester City Council’s archives, is proposed to further enclose the new square.

Parklex is guaranteed for 25 years and Jacobs Webber is so confident that it will last well that it has further plans to use Parklex. The practice has already specified it for an interior garden facade for the residential part of a mixed-use hotel, office and serviced scheme for Carlton Properties in West London, which will shortly be submitted for planning permission.

It is also keen to use the cladding extensively on a 35-storey office and residential tower in Birmingham, which is currently at pre-planning stage.

Really like this building. The glass blade at the top is looking really good too.

You can see it peeping above the skyline now:

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/4750g5mlQ/77060.jpg

(on the right hand side)

Oh yeah.

Cellulose, huh? That means paper.. Just wait until the wasps get to hear about it.

It looks better than I thought it might in this model. But I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[imghttp://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j159/rolybling2/skywlk2.jpg[/img]

Taken today...

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/4750g5mlQ/77699.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/4750g5mlQ/77700.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/4750g5mlQ/77701.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/4750g5mlQ/77702.jpg

http://www.pichotel.com/pic/4750g5mlQ/77703.jpg

Not a bad set of buildings. Nearly finished (the smaller building next to the tower is occupied).

Now all that needs doing is everything around it!!

Saturday.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/jrb041067/Picture051w.jpg

I like this.

It's better than Tempus anyway.

More pics from Saturday.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/jrb041067/Picture074.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/jrb041067/Picture077.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/jrb041067/Picture079.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/jrb041067/Picture080.jpg

The blade is a tad dissappointing. The rest of the building is good though. Not as good as Tempus caw...

The blade is a tad dissappointing. The rest of the building is good though. Not as good as Tempus caw...

It's 10x better than Tempus. Tempus can get down on it's knees and kiss SCs flabby arse. Seriously, Tempus is fucking pap.


http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic16.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic18.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic17.jpg

Prime example of render exaggeration or what? :lol:

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic1.jpg

Nah, sorry, this looks naff...

Amazed how good it looks, was very sceptical about the clad. Still interested to see how it ages, but quite impressed.

Way better than Tempus! Yeah the blade was exaggerated, but I think reality of it is better than the odd quiff styling of the jumbo one. As amazed I am at how well Skyline was pulled off I’m equally amazed at how they made a building as dull as Tempus look so crap. What annoys me the most is the utterly inexplicable yellow tiled wall facing Boddingtons; what on earth were they thinking with that! At least the rest of it will be hidden from most angles by Greengate developments.

This knocks Tempus into a cocked hat any day. The cladding is superb when you see it close up where as Tempus looks like a big pile of horse shit close up, that yellow wall..:puke:

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic1.jpg

Do you reckon we'll ever see the trees?

I think the building has a great proportion, and the cladding looks really good at distance and up close. The only issue is with that blade, it seems too much like it is saying, 'I'm a statement', and yet failing to actually be one. I think it would have looked perfectly good if they just carried the sides to the corner as they are.

I quite like it. I think it's looking better than I thought it was going to be. The bright lively colour and sleek surface mans there's no way you could mistake this for a block of council flats. Which was what I was thinking originally. That blade's a bit naff though.

Looks like some laminate flooring display in homebase...

Looks like some laminate flooring display in homebase...

Nah Manc Guy, the cladding is top quality and you really appreciate that up close on this one. When I bumped into Highriser across the road one day I think the first thing we both said was the cladding is the biz. And it is :cheers:

Looks really nice!! I want one... makes me want to move to Manchester.

Really grown on me this one...west are v classy outfit make no mistake

Nah Manc Guy, the cladding is top quality and you really appreciate that up close on this one. When I bumped into Highriser across the road one day I think the first thing we both said was the cladding is the biz. And it is

Really cant see why you guys like this. Pretty shocked to hear you all raving about it...

Really cant see why you guys like this. Pretty shocked to hear you all raving about it...

Whatever you may think of it MG, the cladding does look so much better in the flesh...

I like it, it's different with it's wood cladding. It's also taller than I was expecting it to be. Hopefully it will be retained in the condition it is now. Wouldn't mind having one of those top floor apartments ;)

Whatever you may think of it MG, the cladding does look so much better in the flesh...


Okay, i'll take your word for it :)

I don't think that it's wood, unless it's highly lacquered, more likely ceramic with a wood effect.

Might as well repost this from a couple of pages ago:




For those curious about the cladding, here's a recent article from Building Design magazine.

The cladding is a UK first apparently but has been used extensively on the continent.

No need for a weather forecast

Friday, October 13, 2006

Cellulose-based cladding for a scheme in Manchester was chosen for its longevity.

By Pamela Buxton

Wood cladding may look great on day one, but can so often disappoint as it weathers. So when architect Jacobs Webber wanted a wood appearance for a large residential scheme in Manchester, but without the maintenance or safety issues, it turned to a cellulose-based product previously little used in the UK.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/c/c/g/Manc_9_ready.jpg

Parklex, made by Composites Gurea in Spain, has been extensively used internally and externally on the continent, especially in Holland and Germany. Formed in stratified panels, it consists of layers of cellulose, impregnated with resin and then heat and pressure treated to create a highly durable, lightweight material. This is topped with a sustainably sourced wood veneer that has been pre-treated to make it water and UV resistant.

“We were looking for a material that would be permanently fire-resistant,” says director Martin Miesowicz, referring to the need to regularly treat natural wood above a height of 18m to ensure it complies with fire safety Part B regulations.

Having visited several projects that had used it, including a 10-year-old housing scheme at Java Island in Amsterdam, Jacobs Webber was confident the material would age well, and specified it for its 30,000sq m Skyline Central project for West Properties in Manchester. The practice’s interest in the product helped prompt Composites Gurea to gain the appropriate fire-resistance and impact compliances for the material in the UK.

The 248-apartment scheme on Rochdale Road is part of the redevelopment of a city block in a run-down part of the north-east of the city, now undergoing regeneration. The project is creating two buildings, 11 and 19 storeys high, while a new public space, Goulden Square, is intended as an “inner sanctum” with greenery and water features.

The taller building is entirely clad in Parklex, while the lower uses brick on the external road elevation but Parklex facing the square. It will be the product’s first extensive application in this country, although Jacobs Webber shied away from using it at ground-floor level because of concerns that it might be vulnerable to vandalism. Parklex has, however, been used at ground level on buildings abroad.

The architect chose the warmest and lightest of the five veneer options, known as Ayous. “It’s a very rich, vibrant, natural effect,” says Miesowicz. The veneer worked out around £140 per sq m, cheaper than terracotta, but more expensive than brick. However, it does have the added benefit of speed of installation, being much quicker to put up than brick and not prone to batch inconsistencies.

The product acts as a rainscreen with open joints that give a “very taut” facade, according to partner Nic Jacobs. It is used in combination with Reglit translucent panels, stone render, and a staggered arrangement of windows to break up the verticality of the facade.

The 1,220mm x 2,440mm panels were used both horizontally and vertically to give a more natural, variegated effect. Each 13mm-thick panel is fixed at 800mm intervals. These are attached using visible screws onto metal uprights fixed to an aluminium grid. This, in turn, is mounted on to a Metsec external dry walling system. The 7mm open joints give a neater detail than silicon filler. “We wanted to express the material for what it is, not as a solid exterior,” explains Jacobs.

The architect had initially hoped to use perforated Parklex panels as part of the ventilation system. But this did not give sufficient ventilation performance so instead the practice inset 200 aluminium vents into the panels, which had been pre-cut in the factory to accommodate them.

The first phase of Skyline Central, 12 Rochdale Road, was handed over last month and the second, taller building (10 Rochdale Road), will be completed early next year. Both buildings, which contain predominantly two-bed flats for private sale with duplexes on the upper levels, are entirely pre-sold. A third building, on a site now occupied by Manchester City Council’s archives, is proposed to further enclose the new square.

Parklex is guaranteed for 25 years and Jacobs Webber is so confident that it will last well that it has further plans to use Parklex. The practice has already specified it for an interior garden facade for the residential part of a mixed-use hotel, office and serviced scheme for Carlton Properties in West London, which will shortly be submitted for planning permission.

It is also keen to use the cladding extensively on a 35-storey office and residential tower in Birmingham, which is currently at pre-planning stage.

Really like this building. The glass blade at the top is looking really good too.

Thanks for that Sleepy.

Course it's not wood, Weasty. It's MDF.

Went and paid this a visit today :)

and....

IT'S HORRID! :(

My god guys, it looks so cheap, nasty and tacky. Bleeding auwfull looking thing. The cladding, blade all of it look out of date already. I'm disgusted!!! Utter tripe. Its up there with Orion on my personal scale of dislikability...

Not had a close look since the scaffolding was there.

Why is the blade much shorter than on the renders? It probably looks better how it is, but a blade that protruded more would have made it so much more noticeable and a real land mark. You can clearly see if coming into Piccadilly on the train and a taller blade would have grabbed attention much better.

It's only a block of flats when all is considered, it doesn't need to be a landmark, from what I've seen of it up close I thought the cladding was superb but that was some months ago now.

Yeah, I quite like the cladding...at least it's something different and interesting to look at.

Yeah, I quite like the cladding...at least it's something different and interesting to look at.

It's pretty good close up. It's turned out much better than I'd expected.

Skyline Central looks great to me ,, its different, modern , and looks quality .

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_1116.jpg?t=1163945369

Funky ball hanging over the courtyard.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_1117.jpg?t=1163945427

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_1120.jpg?t=1163945486

what a great looking building love the clading and the blade looks really good

I had a walk around here and New Islington today and Sky Line Central looks pretty funky as far as i'm concerned. It's a definite plus to the landscape, and is generally a lot more distinctive than the other flats going up, in particular the bland Green Quater.

New Islington is going to be great when finally completed, that whole area is going to be somehting special for Manchester in the coming years.

Thanks for all the pics, highriser.

Yeah, Skyline Central looks pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good.

:badnews:

The fantastic Skyline Central :banana:
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic19.jpg
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic20.jpg

Looking good, but lonely

I take back what I said about the blade no protruding as much as I thought it would. Seems I caught it at a funny angle. cheers highriser and caw.

On caw's last pic: see what I mean about it being a very noticable landmark? Everyone will be wondering what this building is, as much as they did with No 1 Deansgate.

Imagine if the blade followed the verticfal height of the building to ground level.

infact, no, It just looks wrong.

I think its gimmicky rubbish.
As the wise prophet rolybling said - "Its just a block of flats" and not a very nice block of flats at that.
Orange is never a good look at any time especially on a building!

It is just a block of flats but I do like it all the same, not sure about the "blade", not sure it needed it to be honest.

Orange is never a good look at any time especially on a building!

Quoting myself! How conceited is that?
Anyway if this building was a person it would be this fella (difference being i quite like DD)

http://www.visit4info.com/sitecontent/LG/fullZZZZZZTVC060422164911PIC.jpg

Quoting myself! How conceited is that?
Anyway if this building was a person it would be this fella (difference being i quite like DD)

http://www.visit4info.com/sitecontent/LG/fullZZZZZZTVC060422164911PIC.jpg

cheap as chips!

Thanks Caw. Looks great. All adds to the rich urban tapestry that is inner central Manchester. It would have been nice to see the same pattern of window arrangement on the city-facing facade as you see on the other facades though.

A couple of pics taken yesterday

Got to disagree Longy I don't think its gimmicky - they could of built any old rubbish here. I think it's a a quality building. A considerable amount of investment has been thrown at this and IMHO it's a bold statement - this is Rochdale Road and not the most salubrious part of town. There's loads of developments now happpening here and this will surely just act as a catalyst for even more.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d144/legin3/dec031.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d144/legin3/dec032.jpg

Great shots there :cool:

what I wouldnt give for a swim in that pool...

beautiful,love it!

I don't like it. Looks cheap to me, and I have a feeling this is going to age quickly in a bad way.

With the development of this side getting going, I think it will be complemented well tbh. It's turned out better than I expected it would. The glass 'Blade' thing does seem a little clumsy though. Wouldn't mind living there eitherway! Maybe when I get bored of St Georges Island :D

I saw this yesterday coming up Miller street from Corporation street. It looks best from that angle.

I like the blade. Granted from some angles it looks better than others. It certainly breaks the standard 'block' form though.

Its a great location too. Its on top of the hill, so you don't get the 'green quarter hike' into town (I just made that up). And being across the road from the Northern quarter, unlike say, Castlefield, you are next to an area full of amenities (and life). The biggest problem is getting flattened by a truck on Swan Street.

If I had the money and wanted a flat in town, this would certainly be high on my list.

I saw this yesterday coming up Miller street from Corporation street. It looks best from that angle.

I like the blade. Granted from some angles it looks better than others. It certainly breaks the standard 'block' form though.

Its a great location too. Its on top of the hill, so you don't get the 'green quarter hike' into town (I just made that up). And being across the road from the Northern quarter, unlike say, Castlefield, you are next to an area full of amenities (and life). The biggest problem is getting flattened by a truck on Swan Street.

If I had the money and wanted a flat in town, this would certainly be high on my list.

I agree. The N/4, Ancoats, Piccadilly are gonna be the best side of town, which is odd because I always expected it to be the Castlefield side. Guess there's lots more opportunities on the north side,plus we seem to have better schemes on the north side. The west side has seen some truly awful cheap crap - just look at the stuff that's gone up on Chapel Street (Citygate2??), that thing on Trinity Way, then there's the Bailey near the Civil Justice Centre - fucking 'ell.

High-level living? Reach for the sky!


Skyline CentralIT'S another UK first, a penthouse pool and spa encased in a glass shard at the top of a 20 storey tower on Rochdale Road.

The developers, West Properties, don't think there's anything like Skyline Central anywhere else in Britain and it takes living in city centre Manchester to a new level.

They always promised that Skyline and its leisure suite was going to be good, but I didn't think the finished product would be quite this good and what they have produced here takes standards to a new level - not just in terms of the apartments but the whole lifestyle package, from the concierge and zen chill out room to its own corner shop, original art and intranet.

Advertisement your story continues below
It's a sophisticated mix aimed at attracting young professionals and other developers are going to have to raise their game to keep up.

The real coup is up on the 20th floor. Out of the lift to the left is a gym, with mirrored wall behind and a window onto the city in front with doors onto a wide terrace.

The changing rooms are tiled in lozenges of grey slate, with huge showers behind milky frosted glass and there's a long sink honed from a slab of black marble.

But the pool is the thing firstly because it is such an audaciously wonderful feat of engineering and design and secondly because we have it right here in Manchester.

It is a full 20metres long and you can indeed swim in its black depths and look through the double height windows down onto the city.

Or, if you want an even more spectacular view, you can take a seat between the two trees in the glass shard itself that hangs out over Rochdale Road. There's also a sauna, steam room and treatment room to complete the penthouse picture.

West's chief executive, Donal Mulryan, said: "We do spend a lot of time and money on the finishes. We see no point in building something like this and not finishing it well. And our aim is to provide a total lifestyle."

There are 248 apartments at Skyline, ranging from studios to three-bed duplexes, split between two towers, and all, bar one, to rent. Prices are not the cheapest in town: £750 for a one-bedder and £850 for two beds, but you can, of course, cancel your gym membership if you live here and the specifications in the apartments are top quality.

The smaller tower, which has its own entrance and concierge, gym and outdoor hot-tub, was sold to investors and is now fully let, apart from the top floor, which was bought by a family moving into the city from the suburbs.



Skyline CentralWest have retained ownership of the taller tower with its pool, but manage, maintain and let both buildings to keep total control over standards - and services.

They plan to open an organic shop in one of the commercial units just for residents who may find themselves out of fresh bread or milk on a Sunday but who cannot face the schlep to the nearest convenience store.

Sixty apartments here have now been taken and 30 tenants have moved and they expect them all to have gone by the end of the month.

When they started Skyline, this area was very much edge of the city and Mulryan admits having some misgivings but now the city has edged up to meet it.

The bus interchange is on the doorstep, work is well underway on a four-star Crowne Plaza Hotel just down the way, other developers are building here and West themselves have just put in plans for an even bigger scheme just across the road on the site of the old Nawab Indian Restaurant.

Project Sharp will be 30 storeys high have 367 apartments, 10 per cent of which will be available to key workers on a shared equity basis where they pay 70% of the apartment value with West retaining the other 30 per cent stake.

There will also be a swimming pool and gym - on the 6th floor - but this time they are also adding in a rooftop garden and resident's cinema/auditorium and a ground floor business centre.

An organic shop just for residents?
Yeah - thats gonna work!
Not!

The whole deal sounds pretty good though. I hope it work out for them. And oooh, a thirty storey tower! Nice! Thanks jrb.

They plan to open an organic shop in one of the commercial units just for residents who may find themselves out of fresh bread or milk on a Sunday but who cannot face the schlep to the nearest convenience store.


Whatever happened to walking to the shop? I hope this is from a US reporter, else I'm going to get my homeys and bumrush his condo on the eastside.

Emma.

(I wish I could be obsessed with and embrace US culture like some mindless teenager, but I think being an old stick in the mud has its advantages. Chiefly for the ability to say, 'told you so' at the appropriate time.)

Whatever happened to walking to the shop? I hope this is from a US reporter, else I'm going to get my homeys and bumrush his condo on the eastside.

Emma.

(I wish I could be obsessed with and embrace US culture like some mindless teenager, but I think being an old stick in the mud has its advantages. Chiefly for the ability to say, 'told you so' at the appropriate time.)

It is, of course, from the Yiddish for drag or the Middle High German sleppen so i think the English language is being corrupted by those pesky east european jews and not damn yankees - innit?

It is, of course, from the Yiddish for drag or the Middle High German sleppen so i think the English language is being corrupted by those pesky east european jews and not damn yankees - innit?

I don't think it's being corrupted, I just think the writer sounds stupid for using words like 'schlep' and 'convenience store' in relation to Ancoats.

Chillin' in south central Manchester, keeping it Whalley, Emma.

That indian rest , facing Skyline Cental as now gone and the site fenced off ,,it is being used as a storage for the building site next door ,,,this is the site for the 30 storey Simpson jobbie on Sharp St

,, ignore

From the centre of the Skyline Central complex ,,, looks very nice indeed

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_1290.jpg?t=1171907318

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_1291.jpg?t=1171907371

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_1292.jpg?t=1171907426

Looking very nice .

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_1369.jpg?t=1174933956

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f335/markydeedrop/5bb6f941.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/markydeedroppics/RochdaleRoadApartments.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/markydeedroppics/RochdaleRoadApartments2.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/markydeedroppics/RochdaleRoadApartments3.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/markydeedroppics/RochdaleRoadApartments4.jpg

Plus a couple of Ludgate Hill Shots

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/markydeedroppics/PlatoonManchesterGraffiti.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/markydeedroppics/MarsdenHarcombeBuildingAncoatsManch.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/markydeedroppics/LudgateHillApartmentsManchester.jpg

Good pics, Skyline Central looks great in the sunshine, nice and bright.

I really don't get what people see in this building - to me it just looks like a total dog's breakfast, I really can't stand it. I can't think of a single thing I like about it.
But I don't claim to be any sort of expert on these things, just going by my instincts really

^^ It's the 'sticky-out' vertical corner greenhouse bit at the top that makes it. Else it would be just another highrise apartment building.

You could say that this appendage makes it look a bit awkward but it certainly sets it apart, regardless of whether people like it or not.

I wonder what it will look like at night when it's fully occupied and lit up?

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/markydeedroppics/RochdaleRoadApartments2.jpg

To me, it just doesn't make any sense! A jumbled mess!

I agree - it's a mess, the glass tip really is vile, the smooth, fake wood finish creates an awful contrast, i just don't get it. Why do people like this?

^^ It's the 'sticky-out' vertical corner greenhouse bit at the top that makes it. Else it would be just another highrise apartment building.

You could say that this appendage makes it look a bit awkward but it certainly sets it apart, regardless of whether people like it or not.

I wonder what it will look like at night when it's fully occupied and lit up?

I'm one of those people who think it would look better without the sticky-out bit, for my sins. Though its removal would certainly make the building less remarkable, I suppose that something would have been done in compensation. Maybe keeping the lines straight with the rest of the building and carving off a 'glass corner' would be good, but then you would've not got the same views. I don't know.



Marky: That Marsden Harcombe portal is, like, boss, in it's own way. If you look you can see in the shadows above the two doors a divided window with wide rectangular central divisions flanked by smaller square divisions on either side. In each of the divisions the pane is further subdivided into nine pieces, the central one being larger, and the smaller eight forming a border around it.

Also, there's six rows of large green tiles between the lowest and middle side 'holes', five lines between the middle and upper 'holes', and four lines between the upper 'holes' and the name sign. Maybe the designer thought most other portals were too vertical, and so tried to inject as much horizontality into it as he could. How subversive of him...

The rest of the building looks naff, from what I can see, but if you have pictures of any of the other features on the building, I'ld love to take a look. I'm oddly intrigued by it.

I'm one of those people who think it would look better without the sticky-out bit, for my sins. Though its removal would certainly make the building less remarkable, I suppose that something would have been done in compensation. Maybe keeping the lines straight with the rest of the building and carving off a 'glass corner' would be good, but then you would've not got the same views. I don't know.

Its bobbins no matter what you do with it - looks like a hotel in Lanzarote.
And not even a very good one at that!


Marky: That Marsden Harcombe portal is, like, boss, in it's own way. If you look you can see in the shadows above the two doors a divided window with wide rectangular central divisions flanked by smaller square divisions on either side. In each of the divisions the pane is further subdivided into nine pieces, the central one being larger, and the smaller eight forming a border around it.

Also, there's six rows of large green tiles between the lowest and middle side 'holes', five lines between the middle and upper 'holes', and four lines between the upper 'holes' and the name sign. Maybe the designer thought most other portals were too vertical, and so tried to inject as much horizontality into it as he could. How subversive of him...

:nuts:
http://www.scienceclarified.com/images/uesc_09_img0509.jpg

The rest of the building looks naff, from what I can see, but if you have pictures of any of the other features on the building, I'ld love to take a look. I'm oddly intrigued by it.

Its a 1930s addition to a 19th century building - quite common in Manchester actually. Either an established company wanting to look all modern or a company taking over a building and just using the style of the day to mark its territory. The 30s equivalent of a reclad.

Its bobbins no matter what you do with it - looks like a hotel in Lanzarote.
And not even a very good one at that!


It's not that bad! You wouldn't get this quality in Stockport...




http://www.scienceclarified.com/images/uesc_09_img0509.jpg


I'll have you know I'm not a savante!






Idiot, maybe...

I like it! Bits of it. The sticky out bit is the best bit. :)

I just think its a bit fiddly, and a token gesture. This is what it should have looked like imo

http://www.virtual-planit.com/CHRIS/stock.jpg

^^^ That's much better :)

I like it! Bits of it. The sticky out bit is the best bit. :)

I just think its a bit fiddly, and a token gesture. This is what it should have looked like imo

http://www.virtual-planit.com/CHRIS/stock.jpg

Nice mockup - you should take that sort of thing up professionally

Christ Bammy, your magical jiggery pokery is outstanding.

And yes it does look better.

Within your blade they could also include a novelty roof-to-lobby fireman's pole, to go with the novelty skypool and the novelty blade iself.

Ephemera - I'm afraid that's the only shot I got of the green building. Next time I'm up that way I'll try and get another one, but to be honest the green doorway and tiles were the best bit of the building, IMO.

Ephemera - I'm afraid that's the only shot I got of the green building. Next time I'm up that way I'll try and get another one, but to be honest the green doorway and tiles were the best bit of the building, IMO.

That's alright. If there's nothing more, then I'll make do imagining a huge art deco Apollo-like structure made of green tiles and horizontal lines...

Nice mockup - you should take that sort of thing up professionally

:lol:

Family living, city style


http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/ContentResources/644.$plit/C_17_Articles_237871_BodyWeb_Detail_0_Image.jpg
URBAN SPLASH: The Griffiths family

A MONTH ago Paul and Sue Griffiths and daughters Alex, 15 and Ellie 13, swapped suburban Georgian splendour for a penthouse apartment on Rochdale Road . . . and they absolutely love it.

The two properties were bought and sold for roughly the same amount – around £430,000 – but the lifestyle they offer is radically different.

Dad Paul, who works as a GP in north Manchester, said: “We enjoyed life in a big family house, but had grown out of it and were getting tired of the maintenance. The girls are at an age when they want to be at the heart of things and it made sense.

“Life in the suburbs involved a lot of taxis and a lot of time at weekend looking after the house – in the city we can walk out of the front door and go to the cinema, go to the theatre, go and eat – and of course shop. And the real bonus for me is that we have all these facilities but someone else maintains them.”

The perks of city living here include a gym, 20m pool on the 20th floor and an outdoor hot-tub. Also,crucially, they have not only got three bedrooms but a separate living room to the eating/dining area.

Paul said: “It did feel a bit claustrophobic at first but the crucial thing is that there are enough rooms so we can all escape to our own space if we need to.

This is the first time that the girls have had their own TVs in their room, but so far Ellie seems to spend all her time out in the hot-tub with her mates.”

Clean break

They made a clean break with their past life, selling most off their furniture on the internet and fitted out their new place with more modern pieces.

Paul said: We just got a whole string of strange people coming to our house taking our furniture away then went to Stocktons and got everything from them. It was great fun ordering totally different styles and it was delivered as the apartment was finished.”

Despite their city pad being finished bang on time by West Properties, they struggled to sell their Blackley home and had a difficulty couple of months owning ed both properties.

Paul said: “It was a bit tricky for a while and we delayed moving into Skyline just in case. We had to reduce the Blackley house but it sold eventually and all is well now.”

Despite the financial hiccup they have not been put off buying property. They already own second and third homes in Spain and the Dales and have just bought off-plan in Cape Verde...

Looks like something could be about to start on this site soon , next to Skyline Central , do we know whats planned for here ?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/ANTEATPETE/100_1457.jpg?t=1181398764

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=707
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic3.jpg

Look at that Horror Show to the bottom left of Highriser's pic! That's up there with the Bridge in terms of ugliness. It reminds me of a residential care home in some random suburb.

you mean his last pic? they're fine in the flesh. nice bricks. nice varnished wood. pretty good quality.

Maybe it's just the style, but I thought the bricks looked cheap and the Safestyle UK uPVC double glazing looks totally inappropriate. The wood IMO doesn't work and the roof line is a higgledy-piggledy mess.

It's had it's critics, but for me Skyline Central leads the way in a modern use timber.

Looks like something could be about to start on this site soon , next to Skyline Central , do we know whats planned for here?
I don't know if you or anyone else remembers, but during the construction of Skyline Central, West released a massing render of a masterplan for that whole area which contained several new buildings, including two towers, both taller than Skyline Central. Whether or not this is what they are doing, I don't know.

Heres the bugger:
http://www.jacobswebber.com/graphics/add_1.jpg

Maybe it's just the style, but I thought the bricks looked cheap and the Safestyle UK uPVC double glazing looks totally inappropriate. The wood IMO doesn't work and the roof line is a higgledy-piggledy mess.

It's had it's critics, but for me Skyline Central leads the way in a modern use timber.

you talking about skyline central block 2? or the low brick-clad buildings over the road?
don't think skyline central has much wood in it, or any bricks. panels are some synthetic something. no idea what though, or how long they should last.

this is the low thing over the road, in the foreground on the centre and left.
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic33.jpg

Skyline block 2 is really neat work IMO. I'm sure it was wood panels that they used and seem to remember life expectancy of c.40yrs, but would happily be corrected on either point if anybody has the data.

Yeah the one at the bottom left of your photo is 'orrible!

So with the masterplan, we're looking at 2 towers on Great Ancoats St, one with the Jcn of Rochdale Rd, the other with the Jcn of Oldham Rd?!

It's had it's critics, but for me Skyline Central leads the way in a modern use timber.

well, not quite, its not real timber, its some kind of plastic

Its laminate, so its wood and plastic.

Its shit - thats what it is.

Its shit - thats what it is.

Your a grumpy sod sometimes :laugh:

Your a grumpy sod sometimes :laugh:

Sometimes?

It reminds me of a beetle.

Anyway, some of the lowrise stuff, from flickr:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2393/2206022584_8cfddc5a20.jpg?v=0

more here http://www.flickr.com/photos/16919871@N07/sets/72157603213717266/

Pretty funky. I like it.

Is Longford one of Prince Charle's aides?

Pretty funky. I like it.

Shame we wont be able to see the funkyness when Sharpe Street project goes up. As for the masterplan, I think that we could be waiting along time for any of these buildings to go up. Even Skyline Central was designed to be three buildings but only two got built in the end.

Is Longford one of Prince Charle's aides?I would have though his love of things like this would show that to be clearly untrue!
http://www.thejetsetter.co.uk/hpbimg/concretejungle/gateshead.jpg

I would have though his love of things like this would show that to be clearly untrue!
http://www.thejetsetter.co.uk/hpbimg/concretejungle/gateshead.jpg

A bit of 'wood effect' laminate would do that place ^^ a world of good.

Might stop it being knocked down.

some more pics from today: http://www.skyscrapernews.com/gallery.php?id=707&idi=Skyline+Central&images=all

e.g.
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic32.jpg

speaking of wood effect laminate
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/707SkylineCentral_pic43.jpg

Heres the bugger:
http://www.jacobswebber.com/graphics/add_1.jpg

what's this, has it been submitted to the council?

It's OLD is what it is :p

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k103/samorost/UESC/00006.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k103/samorost/UESC/00007.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k103/samorost/UESC/00008.jpg

Very nice :)

Does anyone here live in Skyline?

Is it not strange sharing the pool / hottub with strangers? how overcrowded is it?

Also what are service charges?

http://i324.photobucket.com/albums/k348/Toetallix/DSC_1574.jpg

Thought skyline had been abit neglected for a while on here :lol:

the only things I dislike about skyline central are the service charges and it's location being abit out of the center.

and the fact its choc full of drug dealers?

and the fact its choc full of drug dealers?

what make you think that? : - O

Because its a fact. Its a warren for small time crooks and drug dealers. Now I’m not saying its by itself in Manchester, as a lot of these type of places are. But I can’t count the amount of times the place has been raided by the Police. They can’t do anything though as evidence is transported from one apartment to the next in the middle of the night, as the story goes. Its fairly notorious. Do you live there?

Because its a fact. Its a warren for small time crooks and drug dealers. Now I’m not saying its by itself in Manchester, as a lot of these type of places are. But I can’t count the amount of times the place has been raided by the Police. They can’t do anything though as evidence is transported from one apartment to the next in the middle of the night, as the story goes. Its fairly notorious. Do you live there?

nope but I was considering it as an alternative to the edge/leftbank