Manchester School of Architecture is set to relocate to the nearby Manchester Technology Centre from September 2022, in a move that will offer significantly larger facilities to staff and students.
The School’s new home, located on Oxford Road and just a five-minute walk away from the Chatham building, will feature light and modern spaces set over two floors of the centre, with space for all the necessary digital facilities required by students. The School of Architecture will also invest in improvements to the site prior to the move to enhance the student experience.
Students at Manchester School of Architecture - ranked 7th globally in the QS Top University 2022 rankings - will continue to enjoy access to the facilities and workshops of both Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester, due to the unique partnership between the institutions.
As part of the move, students of art and design will expand into Chatham Tower to allow for the refurbishment of the University’s historic, grade-II listed Grosvenor building, first opened in 1881.
Professor Kevin Singh, Head of Manchester School of Architecture had this to say on the move: “I’m absolutely delighted that the Manchester School of Architecture is moving to new premises which coincides with such an exciting time in our history with new programmes and staff alongside with our recent successes in the REF and the QS World Rankings. Whilst we will be gaining significantly extra space I think the most exciting thing about the move is the impact this will have on our pedagogy with large open plan studios that encourage overlaps and interactions, staff accommodation to bolster our sense of academic community, as well as co-working and maker spaces for our students to experiment in. Our permanent exhibition space will also allow us to host a rolling programme of exhibitions to further enhance our relationship with the city, practices, and the local community.”
Below are some visualisations of the new studio and exhibition spaces by Digital Design Lead Jason Taylor (click in the top-right corner of each thumbnail to enlarge).