Who is behind the 180,000 sq ft 'Project Digital' in Manchester?
By Stacey Meadwell on January 22, 2013 2:45 PM| No TrackBacks
Some call it Project Digital; others refer to it as Project Tomorrow. Whichever you choose, Manchester is on the edge of its seat, writes Simon Binns.
There's plenty of established fact about the bumper 180,000 sq ft office requirement, which is shared across 20 buildings, including The Hive (Argent), 1 New York Street (Bruntwood), Orange at MediaCityUK (Peel), and Number One First Street (Ask).
Ten year leases have been signed by the collective of incoming tech firms. The product is based around interactive 3D modelling and data management that will allow companies to share information like never before, wherever they are in the world. As one person involved put it to me: 'The walls are alive.'
The covenant strength of the occupiers is platinum rated and what happens in Manchester may lead to 1m sq ft of office space being taken in London, as the project rolls south.
The one question that does remain, however, is the most important. Who is it?
In this day and age, keeping such a secret is a rare thing. Only five people in Manchester know who it is, and they've all signed confidentiality agreements. There are tantalising links to two firms in particular, however.
The project will doubtless need someone with the processing capabilities to underpin it. Step forward Cisco. A month or so ago, Phil Smith CEO of Cisco UK & Ireland, appeared at a Cityco panel discussion in Manchester on how the city establishes itself as a global tech base. Sat next to him? Sir Howard.
Then this video(below) popped up on Cisco's website, talking about the 'internet of everything', how people and cities get connected and how 'tomorrow starts here.'
Inevitably, Apple have been linked to the requirement too, which some may view as a lazy grab at a household name. But a recent episode of Radio 4's Today programme, added weight to the rumour. An item looking at Manchester's Sharp Project creative hub made reference to 'a major project involving a certain American company which makes phones, music players, tablets, and computers,' set to drop in 2013. It ended with the crunching sound of somebody taking a bite out of...well, you know.
The firm is working on a next generation cloud computing solution with Google, although last summer, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak made waves by saying the technology would suffer 'a lot of horrible problems in the next five years.'
The worst fate that could befall the announcement - when it does come - is that it is underwhelming, such has been the hype. And that the occupiers, while big players in their field, fail to grab the imagination of the public at large.
So while we should never wish our lives away...Manchester's office market is desperately waiting for Tomorrow to come.
simon.binns@estatesgazette.com