One St Peters Square | 59m | 14 Floors

[macc]

Originally Posted by The Longford

............are going to refurbish Elizabeth House.

….With a giant ice cream tub.

Someone get the Dutch pancake house on the blower. Tell them to grab their bacon and maple syrup……‘cause they’re coming back home.

oh, come on? Silver lining?

The building is just foul. You walk up Peter street past GN, up towards the library and all you see is that mess. They'll probably just plonk a load of glass on it like what they are doing with the building opposite (also on Peter Street, I think). Its probably them that gave them the idea. Bland and unoriginal (and probably cheap). But still an improvement.

[SleepyOne]

Manchester proposal axed

Friday, July 28, 2006


Abandoned: GMW’s winning scheme.


A competition to design a new building in a prominent location in St Peter’s Square, Manchester, has been scrapped following the selection of GMW Architects and Sheppard Robson as joint winners.

By James Rose

The Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund launched the contest early last year to design a larger building on the site of Elisabeth House, a sixties office and retail building, which was to be demolished.

GMW was called in to give several presentations, but was then told by the client the project had been scrapped and it intended to refurbish the building instead.

“We had a couple of brief letters saying the project had been abandoned,” said Terry Brown, senior partner at GMW. “They did not give reasons. We were paid for our entry, but it is still disappointing.”

A spokeswoman for the fund said: “The fund is currently reviewing the options for development. This is a major project for us and we want to make sure we get it absolutely right.”

In 2004 the fund stated it proposed to “comprehensively redevelop the site in order to create a larger building of a style and quality commensurate with its location in one of Manchester’s finest public squares”.

It said: “The new building will provide office and retail space and consideration will be given to incorporating residential units in the scheme.”

..

[timo]

fucking gutted

i hate lizzy house

[andysimo123]

Stupid *****. That sums it up.

[caw123]

And the Dutch Pancake House has already moved out. What a waste!

[macc]

Christ, I hadn't seen that render. That makes me feel even worse now. Can't someone just break in and squat in it. We could all do it. It would be like tree sitting only we're not trying to save it...

...hmm, I see a few flaws in my plan...I need some help with the technicalities.

[The Longford]

Whatever the reasons for binning the idea i doubt the winning design would have got through planning anyway.
My feeling is that a softly softly refurb will get through planning a lot easier than a new build in such a sensitive site and that might have influenced their decision some what. Cutting their losses maybe?
Thanks Sleepy btw.

[Bachy Soletanche]

If that's the building I think it is, then good, I'm glad it's staying. Which suggests it's not the white modernist(ish) building I'm thinking it is, anyone got a picture?

[The Longford]

I think you are thinking of Peter House Mr Robinson.
This is Elizabeth House

[timo]

i think that picture must have been from some time ago, it is a lot more dirty now

[macc]

That picture doesn't do it's filthiness justice. Look there are no cars there! It must have been taken in the olden days, at the dawn of the automobile (or something like that). I can almost see white on it.

cheers for the pic though

[macc]

Great minds..., Timo. Great minds.

[The Longford]

Pre tram if you'll notice.

[b4mmy]

Shame.

They are approaching £20 per square foot for premium space in Liverpool and Manchester these days, and serviced accom is going for upwards of £30psf, so I'm surprised they didn't go for a bigger build. There is a glut of commercial all over the place at the moment, its a buyers market so perhaps they lost their bottle....

It must be well past its sell by date inside, it aint gonna be cheap to refurb it for another 20 years of service. I reckon they have either run out of money, just couldn't afford it, or possibly they ran the SR scheme past the planners verbally and it was fucked off. Either way, its a shame.

The loser is of course going to be.... me! I would have loved to have done that job..... (just kidding folks)

[b4mmy]

Originally Posted by The Longford

Whatever the reasons for binning the idea i doubt the winning design would have got through planning anyway.
My feeling is that a softly softly refurb will get through planning a lot easier than a new build in such a sensitive site and that might have influenced their decision some what. Cutting their losses maybe?
Thanks Sleepy btw.

...oops, just read this. Yes, I agree.

[caw123]

Originally Posted by b4mmy

Shame.

They are approaching £20 per square foot for premium space in Liverpool and Manchester

Never mind £20, the Pinnacle on King Street has achieved a rent of £31 psf.

[Accura4Matalan]

Shit news. The demolition of this building being called off rules out any chance of St Peters Square being a top quality public space in the near future.

[Latic]

[The Longford]

It had a internal refurb about 10 years ago. There were some heavyweight tenants in there Ove Arup,AEW, Sheppard Robson, Mcaslans i think so it wasnt an undesirable address - but they have all fucked off now. i suppose the dithering didnt help.
Maybe squeeze another floor on but i cant see them having much trouble letting space in there, although its gonna take quite a bit to sex it up.
This building is owned by my misusses pension fund so i hope they dont spend too much money on it!

[The Longford]

Originally Posted by Accura

Shit news. The demolition of this building being called off rules out any chance of St Peters Square being a top quality public space in the near future.

Not really. The mass and the way it addresses the square isnt so bad. A refurb and some decent public realm out front might be just what the square needs. Just putting a sparkling new building on this site wouldnt ineviatably improve the square.
See this as a new opportunity and not as the end of a dream.