No. 1 Deansgate

Part of the redevelopment of Manchester city centre following the 1996 bomb, No. 1 Deansgate was developed by client Crosby Homes to be a luxury residential building capable of meeting the needs of an increasingly affluent population. Following an initial appointment to provide design and project management advice to the client, Mace was charged with procuring the cladding contract before a late stage construction management agreement was reached. Extant contracts with the appointed design team, cladding and steelwork contractors were successfully renegotiated, while the original construction milestones were met. This effort was in compliance with a legal agreement relating to the construction of an adjacent development located just 25 metres away.

No. 1 Deansgate was conceived as a glass-clad steel-composite structure, which meant the frame and cladding could be manufactured off-site and delivered as needed, mitigating the access and storage challenges posed by the tight city centre location. The steel construction also shaved considerable time off the programme with the entire 800-tonne structure, including cladding completed in just 30 weeks, growing at a rate of one floor every two weeks. Mace worked closely with the steel fabricator to devise innovative erection methods, using cherry pickers mounted on rails to construct the frame safely and quickly, and enabling activity to continue within the building frame below. The project was the first UK residential building to be designed with glass louvers as a façade, a major factor in the high quality finish required by the client.