Axis Tower

Axis Tower
General information
Status Approved
Type Residential
Location Manchester, England
Coordinates 53°28′27.94″N 2°14′55″W / 53.4744278°N 2.24861°W / 53.4744278; -2.24861Coordinates: 53°28′27.94″N 2°14′55″W / 53.4744278°N 2.24861°W / 53.4744278; -2.24861
Construction started 2014[1]
Completed 2016[1]
Height
Roof 93 m (305 ft)[2]
Technical details
Floor count 28[3]
Design and construction
Architect 5plus Architects
Main contractor Russell Construction

Axis (also known as the Axis Tower) is a tower approved for construction[4] in Manchester city centre, Manchester, England. The tower has had two iterations, one as a stalled construction project which was cancelled due to the Great Recession in 2008, and the other as a speculative residential which was announced in 2014. If completed, Axis Tower would become the fifth tallest building in Manchester under current proposals.

History

Based on Albion Street, the Axis Tower was originally conceived as an office development.[5] Designed in 2007 by architect HKR, and first developed by the Property Alliance Group, it was notable for the inclusion of a 51 metre high LCD video wall, which in 2008 - the time of its construction - was believed to be the largest in the world.[6]

Located close to Manchester Central, the 18 storey building was to be 70.90 metres tall, and was originally intended to create 6968 square metres (75,003 sq ft) of Grade A office space.[7] This was made possible by a design that enabled the building’s upper floors to overhang the site.[8] The main contractor for the project was Russell Construction and the building’s design features unitised curtain walling from Wicona Projects.[9]

The construction of the building’s foundations and the complexity of the site presented a civil engineering challenge. The site is subject to restricted covenants and party wall awards on all four sides,[8] and it is located immediately beside the Bridgewater Canal.

In 2009, with the piling work completed, development was put on hold in response to the global economic downturn. As a consequence, the plan to establish Axis Tower as a landmark commercial site was never realised.

Axis Tower Today

In 2012, a new developer took control of the project. The Company devised a new scheme to transform the building into a residential building, and in the same year, obtained the planning permission necessary to do this. The re-design project was awarded to 5plus Architects, which was established in October 2010 after the closure of HKR.[10] The scheme’s objective was to create a 22 storey residential building comprising 136 private apartments.

The project manager is Evolve 2 Consult, and the structural engineer is Capita Symonds. Arup Group has been appointed as fire engineer, and Compass Energy Consulting Engineers Ltd (Ce2) as the Building Services Consultants. Russell Construction remains as the main contractor for the project.

As of Spring 2013, with the foundations complete, the site was ready for building work to start.

In May 2014, Atlas Blue Property released a document to Chinese investors signalling a changed design for the tower, drawn up by 5plus Architects. Axis Tower's use is to remain residential, but the new design will be 28 storeys tall with cladded sides.[11] Construction is due to begin in September 2014 and complete mid 2016.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Frequently Asked Questions". Alliance Property Group. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  2. ↑ "Axis". 5plusarchitects.com. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "Plans". Axis Tower. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Jennifer Williams (14 November 2014). "Approval given to 27-storey skyscraper next to the Beetham Tower despite 'wind tunnel' risk". men. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Dominic Pozzoni, Property Alliance Group website, “Manchester Offices”, http://www.propertyalliancegroup.com/NewPages/axis-offices-manchester.html
  6. ↑ Skyscrapernews.com, February 21, 2007, http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=5182
  7. ↑ David Thame, "Invasion of the Axis", Manchester Evening News, June 19, 2007, http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1009540_invasion_of_the_axis
  8. 1 2 Adrian Welch / Isabelle Lomholt, “Axis Tower Manchester” E-Architect.co.uk, October 15, 2007, http://www.e-architect.co.uk/manchester/axis_tower.htm
  9. ↑ Wincona website, http://www.wicona.co.uk/en/Case-studies/AXIS-Manchester/
  10. ↑ Richard Waite, “New Practices 48: 5plus Architects” Architects Journal. October 29, 2010, http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/-new-practices-48-5plus-architects/8607551.article
  11. ↑ (PDF) http://www.britishchambershanghai.org/sites/default/files/offical_invite_to_axis_tower_soft_launch.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)

References

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