Understated Minimalism

Exchange Quay’s 435,000ft² area stands as one of the largest office developments in the North West with more than 4,000 employees. As a result of the success and response to scheme designs of Building 8 and Building 5, Jasper Sanders + Partners were invited again by Till AM to develop the entrance, first floor mezzanine and lift lobbies of Building 1.

This design offers a refreshing aesthetic and enhances each of the spaces, combining a sense of place with timeless design influenced by the site’s maritime heritage.

“This was all about retaining as many components as possible within the existing scheme, to refresh and update the arrival experience, using the minimal number of materials, for the maximum effect.”

Jasper Sanders

Sector | Workplace

Completion | 2022

Client | Till AM

The scheme is intentionally minimalist, creating an accommodating aesthetic for the corporate businesses who reside there. The reception is a place to meet; a destination, offering a great frontage onto the campus, with the overall intention to enhance the occupier experience at their first point of entry.

JS+P focussed on a minimal approach and made great consideration into the choices and sources of materials, both from an aesthetic and sustainability standpoint.

The modest timber palette largely features to reception, seen applied to all internal entrance elevations, inspired by the maritime theme of the Exchange Quay site, with its close proximity to Manchester’s canal system. The articulated American styled architecture of Exchange Quay heavily influenced the two previous schemes completed here, with Building 1 offering a warm and tactile interior in stark contrast to the highly glossed, cooler hued façade. Brand identity is subtle, with this aspect of the scheme driven by the use of the number ‘1’.

Detail and symmetry of the timber panelling has been carefully considered to emulate the vertical planes of the Exchange Quay site, offering a more serious and understated approach in comparison to Building 5 and Building 8.

Behind the Scenes