The MSCP forms part of a wider masterplan providing 1,493 spaces alongside two office buildings. The MSCP sits as the first large scale piece of infrastructure within the masterplan, bordered by a motorway spur road to the south and Enterprise Way to the west.

The concept is conceived as a single architectural volume with certain elements extracted and articulated to mark connectivity with the M56 spur footbridge and the future masterplan with active frontage and controlled access. The single mass of the building is broken down through the use of perforated panels allowing for natural ventilation to the car park whilst also seeking to create a pattern identity to the facade while maintaining the overall singular form.

Elements of the built form have been revealed to interact with the wider masterplan and to reveal the internal program. The eastern core has been pushed to the exterior of the building to provide an architectural wayfinding element within the masterplan, bookending and completing the set piece with the M56 spur bridge link to the airport and the car park entrance. The base of the building has been cut way to reveal a plinth to the masterplan facing element of the building, with commercial units, parcel store and bicycle storage providing an active frontage to the north of E1 towards the new masterplan.

The materiality of the MSCP reflects the above design concept. A light silver perforated aluminum clads the primary mass of the building to create a single visual form within a weathering steel and glazed plinth. The focal elements of the building each contrast with the aluminum above, with the external stair matching the materiality of the adjacent bridge. Due to the proximity to the neighbouring Manchester Airport, the design needed to comply with airport safeguarding requirements, including the following requirements:

• Ensure the scale and massing does not interfere with communication or navigation equipment;
• Minimise the potential risk of bird strike by eliminating opportunities for nesting birds;
• Ensuring building materials do not cause unacceptable glint and glare;
• Controlling building light-spill

The change of use of the masterplan to Life Sciences and the location of the car park within the overall masterplan as a gateway from the M56 spur created an opportunity to use the façade of the MSCP as a visual marker into the masterplan.

The materiality for the scheme takes its lead from weathered steel, which is proposed to the main stair core to the east, creating a visual connection with the adjacent bridge link and acting as a vertical marker for the bridge across the site. The main body of the car park is clad with perforated anodised aluminum panels which will catch the light throughout the day to create variations across the facade. This material allows the proposed pattern to be added to the facade by using perforations of different sizes and allows the car park to be naturally ventilated.

The primary core of the MSCP is located alongside the existing bridge link to allowing connection to the bridge deck at Level 3. A weathering steel frame is proposed to the car park entrance to demarcate the entrance and assist with wayfinding for vehicle users, complemented by signage. The ground floor commercial unit has been situated to create an active frontage at ground floor level on the approach to the bridge link, with the glazed elevations extending to the cycle hub.

Project Team
Project Manager. Rihbell
Sustainability Consultant. CPW
Structural/Civil Engineer. ROC
Building Services Engineer. CPW
Quantity Surveyor. AtkinsRéalis
Landscape Architect. Planit
Fire Engineer. DFC
Planning Consultant.CBRE