24 Jul £150 mil revamp of the iconic CIS Tower Manchester
Plans to add high-end offices as well as retail and leisure facilities as part of a £150 mil redevelopment of the iconic Manchester tower, the CIS Tower, have been approved by city planners.
Under the proposals supported by Manchester City Council, the Grade 2 listed building, will change from solely serving the single occupier, The Cooperative, to having multiple organisations working under one roof and the refurb of the redevelopment of the CIS Tower is of a scale that has never been attempted on a building of that age in the United Kingdom.
In May 2017, the CIS Tower was bought by Castlebrooke Investments and the investment organisation expect to provide the citizens of Manchester with 2,404 new jobs with an additional 200 new jobs in the leisure and retail facilities of the building.
The new plans for the development are designed by architect Simpson Haugh with Crookes Walker supporting the work as the MEP consultant and Curtins overseeing the structural engineering.
Plans for the redevelopment show that the building will be brought back up to modern standards and the 336,500 sqft building will have a three-floor extension of the building’s podium adding extra space to what is already there.
The façade of the CIS Tower will be made up of high-visibility glazing and black spandrel panels with expressed I-section mullions.
Shops, restaurants, a gym, and a cinema will all be located on the basement floor replacing the current staff canteen. The 25th floor, formerly known as the observation floor, will be used for enjoying the views of Manchester. However, this floor is not connected to the lifts causing the developers to think that this may hinder it from becoming a tourist attraction.