Tessera Mixed-Use

The brief

A six-storey mixed-use development in Manchester's Ancoats quarter, combining 4,200 m² of flexible workspace with 38 apartments and ground-floor retail and food-and-drink units. The project sits at the apex of a triangular site bounded by three Victorian streets.

The building mass is organised as two interlocked L-shapes, creating a sheltered courtyard at the centre of the block and breaking the overall volume into scales that respond to each adjacent streetscape. The workspace floors are entirely column-free 12m-deep plates, allowing subdivision from small studio to open-plan floor.

The façade system uses hand-made brick in three complementary warm tones — an acknowledgment of Ancoats' industrial brick heritage — with large punched openings and deep reveals that give the building depth and shadow. The apartments on the upper floors step back from the street on the south elevation to create generous terraces with views across the city.