Urban Renaissance Manchester

Malcolm Smith, from Arup Urban Design, who won the competition for the masterplan, together with Ruairidh Jackson, Head of Planning at the Cooperative Group, will share the ideas that are developing with the masterplan, exploring what this generation of Coop development will say about our times, and how this sits with the historic generations of development going back to the 1850’s, along with what it means to be one of the key owner occupiers in Manchester city. Kathryn Firth of KPF will then join them in a discussion that will open up to include the audience.

Continue on coach for the Centenary Building at the University of Salford, designed by Stephen Hodder Associates, and winner of the 1996 RIBA Stirling prize. There will be presentation at the building by Stephen Hodder of his work, followed by a tour of the building.

Continue on coach for a guided coach tour of Media City, including of the BBC project currently in construction designed by Wilkinson Eyre. Time permitting we will also visit Chimney Pot Park, a residential development by Urban Splash.

At the end of the tours the coaches will take the group to Kro. For those not attending the evening reception the coach will continue on to the Urbis centre.

The panel will examine if and how the current societal focus on issues of sustainability has affected the pace of improvement to transport infrastructure in the Manchester conurbation. They will highlight an individual example of transport system improvement and how it was promoted and implemented, how the impact of that system improvement has been measured and what level of success it is judged to have achieved.

Ray Makin, principal of Makin Architecture, will present residential projects that have re-purposed existing churches and office blocks for residential flats. Keith Hamilton will share projects designed by Stephenson-Bell. Several of their recent projects explore the insertion of large residential projects into the city fabric. The presentations will be followed by a brief discussion.

The panelists include Ian Nahapiet Director at Ellis Williams Architects who has been responsible for the successful delivery of many educational projects for Local Education Authorities and Diocesan Boards. He brings a perspective on how successful these projects have worked as catalysts for regeneration. Ian Caldwell, chair of HEDQF — (Higher Education Design Quality Forum) and the current Director of Estates at King’s College will bring a national view on the role of higher education buildings in strengthening the surrounding community. This includes the importance of education institutions in renewing historic landmarks and districts.

Speakers: Eamonn O’Rourke, Head of Leisure Services, Manchester City Council; Eugene Uys, Associate Director, Arup Sport; David Cockram, National Facilities Officer, British Cycling Federation. Moderator: Michael Lischer, Principal, Sport Concepts.