Bruntwood Works has announced proposals for a workspace in Manchester city centre that it says it’s “capable of competing with the best commercial buildings in the world”.
This will be done through the redevelopment of Alberton House into ‘The Alberton’.
The proposals for the new workspace include replacing the current Alberton House on St. Mary’s Parsonage to create a “striking” 18-storey building that will become the flagship property in Bruntwood Works’ Pioneer programme.
The plans include the creation of a unique rooftop pavilion on the 17th and 18th floors that will house a “state-of-the-art” health and wellness centre, which will benefit from 360-degree views across the city that can also be enjoyed from the adjoining landscaped roof terrace.
Once complete, Bruntwood Works say The Alberton will offer one of the most “comprehensive wellness experiences in a workplace” that’s ever been seen in the UK.
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Designed by EPR Architects to represent Manchester’s industrial past in a contemporary aesthetic, Bruntwood Works also said The Alberton will create “a new standard of workspace” in the city that will compare to the best on the world stage through.
A big part of the building being able to compete is thanks to its sustainability credentials.
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You thought it couldn’t get any bigger- meet The Alberton!☄️🏢 This one will be revolutionary enough to compete on a world stage, thanks to it’s wellness & sustainability credentials. Think net-zero carbon workspace & rooftop wellness centre.
After Bruntwood became the first property company in the UK to sign up to the ‘World Green Building Council Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment’ back in 2018, the group has since outlined its ambitions for all areas under its control to operate at NZC by 2030, and all buildings to have net zero embodied carbon by 2050.
This means that sustainability is a key factor of this groundbreaking Pioneer redevelopment.
The Alberton will operate at net zero carbon and is targeting BREEAM New Construction 2018 Excellent Rating and NABERS UK Design for Performance Agreement 5.5 star.
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The development will feature glazing detailing to reduce solar gain, ambient loop heating and cooling to allow for greater efficiency and zonal control, and the building will also encourage active commuting – with a newly created basement space offering extensive cycle storage with charging lockers, shower rooms, and vanity areas.
The new destination will also welcome the best of Manchester’s food and drink scene, as there’ll be a waterfront community of restaurant and bar operators, with an immersive food and drink experience on the ground floor.
Speaking on the unveiling of the proposals, Ciara Keeling – CEO at Bruntwood Works – said: “Our Pioneer programme has always been about realising our vision for the future of the workspace, and we’re proud to have created some of the best workspaces in the country through it.
“With The Alberton, we are aiming to bring a truly world-class asset to Manchester as the city continues to compete on a global stage for inward investment.”
Artist’s impression of The Alberton from Trinity Bridge / Credit: Bruntwood Works
She continued: “The office is no longer a place you have to go to, nor just a place where you go to work.
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“Workspaces need to become experiential places that encapsulate what we love about our thriving city centres, but can also help to provide productivity, balance and wellness to our lives.”
Following other leading workspaces transformed as part of the Bruntwood Works Pioneer programme – including Blackfriars House, 111 Piccadilly, and Bloc – The Alberton will offer a wide array of workspaces for individuals, start-ups, and larger firms.
The mezzanine workspace – which will be accessible to those with memberships to Bruntwood Works’ spaces, or via its Pay as You Go offering – will offer a cosy coworking lounge and flexible working zones.
Workspace floors will feature views over the River Irwell.
There will also be a range of community spaces available to foster collaboration and inclusivity.
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Keen to have your say? The community is invited to share their views on the plans by visiting thealberton.co.uk, or by emailing [email protected] by 23rd January 2022.
Featured Image – Bruntwood Works
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Manchester’s historic connections to slavery will be at the heart of a major new exhibition
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s historic connections to slavery are to be explored during a major new exhibition coming soon to the city.
The Science and Industry Museum, in the heart of our city centre, is already known and loved for telling the story of the ideas and innovations that transformed Manchester into the world’s first industrial city.
But now, a new free exhibition is set to “enhance public understanding” of how transatlantic slavery actually shaped the city’s growth.
Produced by the Science and Industry Museum, in partnership with The Scott Trust Legacies of Enslavement programme, and developed with African descendent and diaspora communities through local and global collaborations, this landmark project will put Manchester’s historic connections to enslavement at the heart of a major exhibition at the museum for the first time.
Featuring new research, it will also explore how the legacies of these histories continue to impact Manchester, the world, and lives today.
Set to open in early 2027, the exhibition will run for a year in the museum’s Special Exhibitions Gallery.
Alongside that hub at the Science and Industry Museum itself, the project is also set to have a collaborative city-wide events programme, and a lasting legacy – with a new permanent schools programme, and permanent displays in the future too.
As mentioned, the new exhibition is part of The Scott Trust Legacies of Enslavement programme, which is a 10-year restorative justice project launched in 2023.
Manchester’s historic connections to slavery will be at the heart of a major new exhibition / Credit: Science Museum Group Collection
Through partnerships and community programmes, the project aims to improve public understanding of the impact of transatlantic slavery on the UK’s economic development, and its ongoing legacies for Black communities – with a strong focus on Manchester, the city in which The Guardian was founded back in 1821.
The museum’s existing gallery content and ongoing work around sharing the inextricable links between Manchester’s growth into an industrial powerhouse and a textile industry reliant on colonialism and enslavement will be developed through the project.
Through a “collaborative re-examination of the past”, the exhibition will also share a more inclusive history of a city that prides itself on being at the forefront of ideas that change the world.
It’s opening at the Science and Industry Museum in early 2027 / Credit: Science and Industry Museum
Speaking ahead of the exhibition’s arrival in early 2027, Sally MacDonald, who is the Director of the Science and Industry Museum, says: “This will be an exhibition about important aspects of our past that are profoundly relevant to the world we live in today.
“Revealed from the perspectives of those who experienced enslavement and whose lives have been shaped by its legacies, we will foreground stories of resistance, agency, and skill.
“The exhibition will explore themes of resilience, identity and creativity alongside exploitation and inequality, and will feature a specific focus on the ways that scientific and technological developments both drove and were driven by transatlantic slavery.”
Further details on the project will be announced in due course, so stay tuned.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
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Charlotte Dawson will be handing out compliments and big prizes in Manchester to brighten Blue Monday
Daisy Jackson
TV star Charlotte Dawson will be cheering up Blue Monday in Manchester, dishing out compliments to strangers and awarding some big prizes too.
The actress, who is the daughter of the legendary late Les Dawson, will be bringing her signature sunny energy to Printworks on Monday 20 January.
Otherwise known as Blue Monday, it’s believed that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year – so she’s here to nip that in the bud.
Between 1pm and 3pm on the huge gaming screen inside Printworks – part of its £21m transformation that included adding a huge digital ceiling – Charlotte Dawson will be spreading joy and laughter.
She’ll be live streaming straight to passers-by, spreading smiles and dishing out compliments.
Charlotte will also be treating visitors to some amazing prizes from Printworks’ collection of bars, restaurants and leisure venues.
These prizes will include free brunch for four at Walkabout, gaming sessions at Bierkeller, or family cinema tickets with Ice Blasts at VUE. Other prizes include Nando’s vouchers, a drink and activity for two at the new Trax Social, and much more.
And the top prize will be a luxury overnight stay for two at Hotel Indigo, just across the road in the very heart of Manchester.
Charlotte Dawson will take part in Blue Monday at Printworks, Manchester
There’ll even be free coffee vouchers for Todd St Cafe on offer to brighten your Blue Monday.
Kristian Brennan, Marketing Manager at Printworks, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to have Charlotte at Printworks this Blue Monday.
“As a true Mancunian icon, her vibrant personality is exactly what we need to brighten up the most depressing day of the year and we know she’ll bring plenty of laughs and smiles to everyone who stops by.
“What makes this event truly unique is the opportunity for the public to chat with Charlotte under Europe’s largest digital ceiling, which will showcase new mood-boosting content.
“It’s an innovative and exciting way for people to connect, and we can’t wait to see families and friends come together to create joyful memories in this truly unique setting!”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd December 2021 
