A brand new rental development that’s bringing the ‘co-living’ concept to Manchester city centre is nearing completion, as Square Gardens launches a show apartment giving a look inside its beautiful spaces.
The scheme between First Street and the Mancunian Way will provide more than 1,772 new homes, and will boast one of the largest outdoor green spaces in the city.
There’s a mixture of accommodation options too, from shared three to five bed co-living apartments to one-bed and studio apartments.
The co-living concept means that you can rent your own en-suite bedroom within a shared apartment. Renting a whole apartment solo can be intimidatingly expensive, so co-living is a much more accessible way to get yourself a foothold in the city centre.
It works much like student halls, but with considerably less alcopops (unless you’re still into those…)
The spaces have been carefully designed to maximise space too, and come fully furnished.
One of the bedrooms in a co-living apartmentOne of the bedrooms in a co-living apartmentOne of the double bedrooms in the co-living apartments at Square Gardens in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupBedroom options in Square Gardens’ co-living apartments. Credit: The Manc Group
Each en-suite room has huge wardrobes, under-bed storage and desks with more built-in storage.
The apartments boast high specification living spaces with light, fresh and contemporary design with beautiful furniture pieces. Features include integrated appliances, comfortable living spaces, and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the southern side of Manchester city centre.
Then if you do want your own space completely to yourself, there are one-bedroom apartments and studios where you have your own kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom.
Each monthly rental fee includes all your utilities, super-fast WiFi, and access to the shared amenities across the neighbourhood.
CGIs of how Square Gardens will look on completion. Credit: SuppliedCGIs of how Square Gardens will look on completion. Credit: SuppliedCGIs of how Square Gardens will look upon completion. Credit: Supplied
Square Gardens amenities for residents include a gym, wellness centre, and co-working spaces.
There are also lounges, a cinema room and a private dining area that you can book.
And the whole development is being built inside what will be the largest private landscaped garden in Manchester at 2.5 acres – which as those of us who already live in the city centre know, is a huge selling point.
There’ll be a series of community events, activities and clubs held for residents of Square Gardens, all year round.
The co-living kitchen inside the apartmentsCo-living shared apartments at Square GardensCommunal areas in Square Gardens’ co-living apartments. Credit: The Manc Group
Square Gardens is set to be the largest co-living development in the UK when it opens this September.
The first phase of the Square Gardens development, known as Acer, is where the show apartment is located and is now available to view.
Star of hit CBBC show Operation Ouch! to host live Q&A and meet and greets in Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Little Mancs can meet the star of one of their favourite TV shows at the Science and Industry Museum this summer.
In case you hadn’t heard, Operation Ouch! is back in Manchester again with a fresh new experience for 2025, and this time around, visitors can journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Thousands of families from across Greater Manchester and beyond have already visited the city centre museum make the most of the new exhibition, and get stuck into the wide range of immersive and interactive activities it has on offer.
But for those who haven’t been able to pay a visit yet, this summer couldn’t be a more ideal opportunity to do so.
That’s because Dr Xand Van Tulleken – who is one of the presenters of the BBC showOperation Ouch! – will be at the museum in a couple of weeks time to meet visitors as part of his myth-busting mission to answer some of the public’s deepest questions about our senses.
The Science and Industry Museum has unveiled its ‘summer of senses’ programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
Dr Xand Van Tulleken will be at the Science and Industry Museum for one day only, and will not only join mini medics on their voyage through the senses, but will also be on-hand to answer brain teasers from the audience during a series of live Q&As.
Whether it’s banging on a super-sized eardrum, venturing into a massive eyeball, or even taking a whiff of a ‘smell library’, this world-premiere exhibition dives into the science behind hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell – and Dr Xand will be there every step of the way.
Dr Xand’s visit comes amid a senses-themed summer programme at the city centre museum, where visitors can enjoy everything from silent discos and science shows, to a ‘bogie lab’, brain-boggling challenges, and loads more during six weeks of activities inspired by its latest exhibition.
Book your tickets to visit Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You on Tuesday 12 August, for any of the time slots between 11:30am – 1pm, and 2:45 – 4:15pm for the opportunity to grab a selfie with Dr Xand from inside the exhibition.
Tickets will cost visitors £10 each, with those under three going free, and a range of family discounts available.
Find out more about the exhibition and get tickets here.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
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Aspiring artists can get their work displayed on one of the biggest digital screens in Manchester
Danny Jones
Are you a budding artist looking to get your work seen or know some who is? Well, you might want to pay attention because there’s an opportunity to have your creation seen by countless passers-by and on one of the biggest displays in the entire UK over at the Printworks.
If you’ve passed through the much-loved hospitality and leisure complex over the past year or so, you’ll have noticed their roof is now no longer a roof at all, really; the striking ceiling is now a constantly moving image and the largest of its kind in all of Europe.
Meaning that anyone who got their artworks on there would effectively be securing one of the biggest displays and public installations on the continent.
As Printworks themselves put it: “This isn’t just a screen; it’s an artistic stage viewed by millions of visitors every year, with the power to turn a single artwork into a 360-degree sensory experience.”
With that in mind, they’re giving one lucky individual the chance to grab the spotlight and see their creative expression plastered on the 1,000m² wraparound LED canvas.
“Supporting emerging talent and seeing fresh, creative perspectives is always inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what these young artists bring to the table! It was so surreal seeing my artwork on the digital.”
Past installations have included the ‘Spaces Up-Above’ exhibition by world-renowned light artist, Rupert Newman, as well as an International Women’s Day showcase by Heitzman herself, as a fellow Manchester-based creative.
In case you need a better idea of the sheer scale of this screen and why this is such an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming local artists, here’s how they celebrated Oasis returning to Manchester for their Heaton Park reunion gigs this week:
Synchronised with sound and added motion effects, the competition is now open to students who are currently enrolled in college, university or art school.
Better still, you don’t even have to be from or based in the area to take part – this is a nationwide competition hoping to spotlight the best talents in the UK.
All you have to do to enter this exciting competition in Manchester is simply provide Printworks your details and upload your artwork of choice HERE by Sunday, 3 August.
Daisy Jackson -
20th March 2024 
