Apex Tower, Manchester

Apex Tower is a high-quality residential development on a prominent site in Manchester city centre.  In recent years this part of the city centre has become home to a cluster of tall buildings, and plans for Apex Tower have been designed to complement this cluster.

Highlights

• 26 storey tower containing 72 luxury apartments.
• The building seeks to connect two separate parts of the City at an important turning point where Albion Street meets Great Bridgewater Street, it provides an enhanced setting for the existing historic Briton’s Protection public house, but at the same time marks an edge of the tall building cluster, forming a transition is scale stepping down towards the City Centre.
• To allow the existing Briton’s Protection pub to be seen as a stand alone building, the taller building is cut back over three storeys, so the pub is seen in its own right. At the upper levels the building will overhang and create newly enhanced public realm, supported by columns.
• The building has been designed in relation to its neighbours, historical references and its position within the city centre and the emerging buildings around it. As such the building is intended to be constructed out of a palette of three materials. At ground level and the lower floors where the building is seen in the context of the public house and other low level red brick buildings, the predominant materials are red terracotta, with glazing. At the upper floors where longer range views are seen, and the building relates more to the cluster of taller buildings surrounding the site, it is proposed to use terracotta and glass panels, interspersed with perforated metallic panels. The upper levels that face outwards and follow the curve of Albion Street is fully glazed, with the full height opening windows, behind the mesh panels. The curved façade lends itself to the glazed frontage as these can be faceted to create the long sweeping curve.
• The striking curved design of the building creates a sweeping glazed façade that will add a sleek and modern feel to the building.