The eight-storey steel frame has now completed on the £10m Lomax development on Ducie Street in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
The 41-unit development, a joint venture between Urbano and Big Red Industries Group, is set for completion in December 2024 and includes a rooftop patio for residents’ exclusive use.
“The project is running very smoothly and we’ve been assisted by the city council with support around road closures, when needed,” said project engineer Jose Suarez of Shape Engineering.
“It’s a tight site with no margin for error, given the proximity of adjacent buildings. We’ve used a piling solution for the foundations and needed to design it to minimise vibration, removing any risk to neighbouring buildings. The contractor also needed to deploy a just-in-time delivery system given the lack of storage space on site. With good planning, it’s all gone smoothly,” added Jose.
The development, which utilises grey bricks in a riff on the dominant warehouse architecture of the area, uses extensive fenestration and balconies to ensure light and airy homes. Two hundred tonnes of steel have been used in the frame’s construction, with work having started on site in June 2022.
Mohammed Q Anwar of Urbano commented:
“Shape’s engineering solution not only ensures we deliver on the architect’s vision of light-filled homes, but it’s helped us be a good neighbour, too. They’ve made the complex seem every-day.”
The development, constructed by Big Red Industries Group, is being sold off-plan by LH1 Global, with only a handful of apartments remaining. Zerum provided planning advice and Project Management alongside Architect Falconer Chester Hall.
Shape Engineering is based in Liverpool and works nationwide for commercial and housing developers, including Torus, Countryside Partnerships and Aspire Housing.
