Conran & Partners conversion of Pall Mall House on Church Street, Manchester, into apartments and shops and Restaurants has rejuvenated this turn of the century eight storey building. Formerly the Coliseum shopping centre, we have added 8 storeys of loft apartments to the rear warehouse, including three penthouse apartment floors. The signature building, ‘the Lighthouse’ is a radical insertion of a 20 storey, stainless steel tower into the 7m wide gap between the two old warehouses. The tower constitutes one of the city centre’s tallest buildings.
The site is on the edge of the Smithfield conservation area and marks the western edge of the rejuvenated Northern Quarter of the city. The scheme has been designed to acknowledge both the strategic objectives of the masterplan and to reinforce the character and atmosphere of the Northern Quarter. The proposed agglomeration of buildings contains 90 shared ownership apartments in Pall Mall House, with serviced apartments known as ‘The Light’ within the lighthouse tower.
The individual building masses are expressed as distinct elements, each with an individual character, whilst sharing a common architectural language. Renovated old buildings with contemporary roofscapes sit alongside the bold modern insertions.
The tower is clad in brushed stainless steel tiles in the form of an ingot of polished metal into which timber lined balconies are inserted, much like the veneer inlay into a fine piece of furniture. Full height windows create a wall of apartments with dramatic views across the north of the city to the Pennines. Its height locates it within the cluster of existing tall city centre buildings such as the CIS Building, Arndale House and the Piccadilly Tower.
The site is on the edge of the Smithfield conservation area and marks the western edge of the rejuvenated Northern Quarter of the city. The scheme has been designed to acknowledge both the strategic objectives of the masterplan and to reinforce the character and atmosphere of the Northern Quarter. The proposed agglomeration of buildings contains 90 shared ownership apartments in Pall Mall House, with serviced apartments known as ‘The Light’ within the lighthouse tower.
The individual building masses are expressed as distinct elements, each with an individual character, whilst sharing a common architectural language. Renovated old buildings with contemporary roofscapes sit alongside the bold modern insertions.
The tower is clad in brushed stainless steel tiles in the form of an ingot of polished metal into which timber lined balconies are inserted, much like the veneer inlay into a fine piece of furniture. Full height windows create a wall of apartments with dramatic views across the north of the city to the Pennines. Its height locates it within the cluster of existing tall city centre buildings such as the CIS Building, Arndale House and the Piccadilly Tower.
