A residential and commercial building designed by Mecanoo has been completed in Manchester's historic Ancoats neighborhood. The architecture is carefully coordinated with the buildings in the area, which contains the highest density of landmarks in the English city. The One Silk Street building looks like a massive industrial building, softened by handmade brickwork, large windows and a nuanced facade.
Ancoats, which originated in the Middle Ages, is considered one of the incubators of the Industrial Revolution. The neighborhood northwest of the city center, where many factory workers lived, is sometimes referred to as the world's first industrial suburb. Manchester is densifying neighborhoods like Ancoats to increase its urban quality and standard of living.
One Silk Street consists of 75 apartments and just under 2,800 square feet of workspaces, parking spaces and rooftop terraces. The ten-story building has a height of 34 meters, matching the average height and varying heights in the neighborhood. The plinth is intended for workspaces; above it are the apartments.
The building has a classic structure of a plinth, middle section and crown. The double-height plinth provides space for flexible work spaces. Because the entire lot is built up, the exterior spaces are located on the street within the building itself. Double-height entrances to the housing and workspaces are located on both longitudinal facades of the building.
The construction of One Silk Street is designed to allow the building to meet the specific requirements of workspaces and residences, Mecanoo reports. The residences range from two- to four-bedroom apartments. Most residents have an indoor outdoor space; the residences in the volume on the roof have private terraces.
HOME
One Silk Street is not Mecanoo's first project in Manchester. Previously, the firm designed HOME cultural building and Kampus residential area there, among others. Mecanoo also had a branch office in the city for many years; today the British office of the firm is located in London.
