The arrangement of the four towers has been carefully considered whereby the shadows cast by the towers move away from the public space created at their base by mid-afternoon. Essential to create an appealing public space. The development is situated adjacent to the River Medlock, with the river walk forming part of a terraced landscaped arrangement connecting the Plaza with the river edge. The terraces are arranged to relate directly to it, offering viewing opportunities both up and down river. Deansgate Square includes significant new areas of landscaped space and public realm, creating a rich groundscape that dramatically improves the quality of both public and private environments to support the delivery of the wider Great Jackson Street Masterplan vision. The Square, accommodating food and retail units, is designed to be a flexible space to cater for varying size of events and will create a destination for the development and the wider city.
The architectural expression of the buildings is deliberately restrained and is repeated across all four towers, creating a cluster of strong, elegant silhouettes. Care has been taken to ensure that a refined and slender profile is introduced to the Manchester skyline. The verticality of the towers has been emphasised through two subtle moves. Each face of each tower is indented creating a vertical crease which breaks down each surface into two narrower planes. Adjacent faces of the towers receive subtle contrasting colour tones, silver grey and anthracite, intended to pick out the crisp vertical lines of the four corners of each building. The detailed design of the building façades comprises a uniform pattern of coloured, fritted and clear double glazed
9
unitised panels, creating a dynamic animated façade which responds to shifting viewpoints and changing environmental conditions.
Ian Simpson
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease