Manchester Offices

I think the comment about uniqueness is in relation to the amount of investment capital floating around the market nationally, rather than a specific comment about the characteristics of the city itself.

Nice to see agents talking about design quality. Of the speculative and prelet city centre new-build offices proposed and discussed at length on the CBD thread, Piccadilly Place, Spinningfields and elsewhere I can barely see a duff looking building among them. All have a look of quality and distinction about them IMO, my favourites being 3 Piccadilly Place, Chancery Place, Cobbetts House, Aurora Place and some of the stuff at Spinningfields. Obviously some of the fringe stuff could be better and Manchester really could have done with a more adventurous developer than Bruntwood purchasing the Tariff St sorting office (especially when there is seemingly so much quality refurbished space coming through). Other than this I see a great spectrum of quality office development, right accross the city. 3 PP however will be the big "transformational" building simply due to its prominence. Thankfully Austin Smith Lord would appear to have furnished us with a really decent building and, as much as it sticks in my throat (!) - thanks go to Longford and his Civic Society crew for their contribution. One of the few examples where the CS have proven their worth.