Out Of Town Is Not Frumpy: Bruntwood Rethinks The Business Park
Manchester's suburban and commuter-belt business parks enjoyed a scorching summer, thanks to deals like The Hut Group's decision to take 250K SF at Airport City as part of a campus-style consolidation. Meanwhile, government spy agency GCHQ scours the region for a new Manchester base, with the business parks said to be high on their hit list.
Now Bruntwood have taken the rebirth of the business park a bit further. In a move reminciscent of IKEA's iconic chuck-out-the-chintz advertising campaign, they plan to rethink the way the business park looks.
Chuck Out Your Chintz from Pentagram on Vimeo.
At their Alderley Park campus, transparency will be the watch word, as they launch the 150K SF Glasshouse collaborative workspace to tech companies and forward thinking, innovative businesses.
Glasshouse, due for completion in summer 2019, will provide coworking, serviced, managed and leased space options. The arrival of Glasshouse underlines Bruntwood’s commitment to the development and expansion of Alderley Park and its focus on science and technology in the U.K. regions.
“The name Glasshouse reflects the essence of our site," Alderley Park Managing Director Chris Doherty said.
"At the heart of the building is an impressive atrium, incorporating a café and networking areas. This will play an essential role in nurturing a collaborative community within the building and we very much hope that connections will happen naturally through physical and digital space."
The look and feel is more reminiscent of city centre WeWork than the vanilla decor usually associated with out-of-town offices.
Bruntwood has also recently secured planning permission for 20K SF of dining and retail space at the Park, which includes a farm shop in the former Stanley Arms and 21 newly created hotel rooms.
Acquired by Bruntwood in 2014 and undergoing a £160M investment, the 1M SF campus is home to the internationally recognised Mereside bioscience campus managed by Manchester Science Partnerships.
