John McAslan + Partners unveils new vision for msp

Leading architecture practice John McAslan + Partners (JMP) has been appointed as masterplanners for Manchester Science Parks (msp), helping the facility forge new connections with the city centre.

The masterplan will reshape msp’s 9.3 hectare Corridor site, creating 250,000 sq ft of new floor space for the growth of innovative companies, across industries such as digital media, biotechnology and IT. This will  increase the total amount of lettable space at the Corridor site to 470,000 sq ft. JMP’s design has nearly doubled the facility’s commercial space by significantly improving the density of the Park, introducing seven new buildings through a phased and flexible development framework that anticipates further growth in the sector.

Whilst increasing lettable space, msp will also introduce an open public space at the heart of the development which will be central to transforming the campus environment, creating a meeting point for research staff, academics and visitors.

The rethinking of the msp site is an important opportunity to redefine how key resources in Manchester are interlinked. The scheme occupies a prominent site between the University of Manchester and the residential communities of Hulme. Its reshaping will redefine relationships between educational, commercial and cultural institutions, such as The University of Manchester and the Whitworth Art Gallery.  Crucially, the new masterplan will strengthen physical links between the msp and the hospitals, promoting collaborations between the institutions.

The msp masterplan is a key part of the vision set out by Corridor Manchester, the partnership set up to deliver economic growth and investment in the knowledge economy along the Corridor (the Oxford Road area of the City) for the benefit of the City Region.

JMP’s masterplan will be delivered in a number of phases over the next 10 years. This staggered approach will allow the complex changes to be made with minimal disturbance to the existing facilities.

Tony Skipper, Managing Director of John McAslan + Partners, said: “Over the next few years, we will see Manchester Science Park become a much bigger part of city life. We are delighted to be working on such a prominent scheme that will reshape the ways in which Manchester’s leading institutions and resources will interlink and collaborate.”

Jane Davies, msp chief executive, said: “This is an extremely exciting development for Manchester Science Parks and we are pleased to have John McAslan + Partners on board as project masterplanners.  The expansion of our Corridor site will bring innumerable benefits to both our tenants and the surrounding area and we are looking forward to this next stage in our evolution.”

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John McAslan + Partners

John McAslan + Partners is a leading architectural and design practice, based in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, with a large portfolio of award-winning work in Britain and overseas. Encompassing urban design, infrastructure, commercial, residential, retail, education and the arts sectors, the practice has an outstanding track-record in transformational schemes involving culturally and historically significant buildings, including: the Grade I listed Modernist masterpiece, the De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill on the South coast of England; the renowned Roundhouse arts venue in Camden, London; and the Grade II* listed Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square, London.

JMP Initiatives are the practice’s community and environmental projects around the world. Working in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative and other NGOs, government agencies and private sector organisations, the practice leads and collaborates on built environment projects that aim to make a direct difference to people’s lives. Current projects include: the Victorian Iron Market in Port-au-Prince and housing settlement projects in Haiti; community schools and teacher training centres in Malawi; the Indian Institute of Advanced Nursing, Chennai, India; the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, Kenya; as well as education projects in Rwanda and India. Other Initiatives projects include the JMP-funded RIBA/ICE Bursary in the UK, which supports students and recent graduates to carry out small-scale interventions to improve life in deprived communities.

Around the world, John McAslan + Partners is working on: the £450M development of the Grade I listed King’s Cross Station in the heart of London, the transformation of the historic centre of the Stanislavsky family in Moscow, including a prominent mixed-use and residential building; and new cultural and apartment buildings within the Heart of Doha project in Qatar. Having just recently completed the new British Embassy building in Algiers, the studio is also designing a £120 million sustainable super-campus for Manchester Metropolitan University in Hulme; an innovative High School and Community Library at Craigmillar in Scotland; a major new high quality office and mixed-use development near St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London, known as 5 Cheapside; and the Olympic Energy Centres for the 2012 London Olympics.

For more information, please visit: www.mcaslan.co.uk and www.mcaslan-family-trust.com