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Calico

A new commercial community

Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Exterior shop front

A sensitive refurbishment of a former industrial warehouse in Manchester city centre providing 1,520 sqm of flexible workspace across five original storeys and a two-storey roof extension.

Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Interior workspace
Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Interior co-working space

Bluefig Investments wanted to create a new home for creative enterprise at 53-55 Mosley Street when the previous tenant’s occupancy came to an end. It needed to be flexible, offering various modes of working in order to support a creative and vibrant community.

Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Interior staircase aerial view

Our challenge was to improve an extremely compromised internal layout with poor natural light, ceiling heights and circulation through sensible and modest refurbishment and restoration. By relocating the building’s core into the centre of the floorplate we have been able to maximise the amount of natural light entering the workspace, as well as providing well-proportioned flexible workspace.

Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Interior kitchenette
Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Exterior context shot

The clear distinction between the original fabric and new interventions celebrates a new period in the building’s history, while recognising its former use as an industrial warehouse. A mixed palette of materials has been carefully placed and proportioned to provide colour, texture and detail. The entrances are inviting, animated, well-connected and better engage with the surrounding streetscape. The Mosley Street entrance has new ‘shop front’ glazing that creates high quality frontage and improved accessibility on to the street. A welcoming reception area, designed in collaboration with local artist Lazerian, provides shared tenant amenity and facilities for small scale events.

Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Interior superloos
Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-External terrace
Hawkins Brown-Calico-Wayfinding detail-01
Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Interior ground floor entrance

The upper floors are all accessed via the new core that clusters an upgraded lift, new stairs, superloos and kitchenette. The new fourth floor includes additional shared amenity in the form of a small co-work lounge and external terrace with views to St Peter’s Square.

Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Interior staircase
Hawkins Brown-Calico building at 53-55 Mosley Street in Manchester-Exterior façade
Businesses today are looking for more from the places they work in – character, soul and being part of a community of like-minded people. Calico delivers on this, right in the heart of the city’s business district. We look forward to welcoming Manchester’s brightest talent into our community.

Project details

Project name: Calico

Location: Manchester, UK

Value: < £20M

Scope: Architecture, Interior design

Clients: Bluefig Investments (UK) Ltd

Status: Complete

Completion date: 2021

Project manager: CINNS Limited

Structural / civic engineer: HBL Associates

MEP: Hulley and Kirkwood

Fire engineer: BB7 Consulting

Planning consultant: Paul Butler Associates

Photography: Adrian Lambert

Awards

BCO Northern Awards 2023
Refurbished/Recycled - Winner

If you want to know more about our work in Northern England, contact Katie Tonkinson

If you want to know more about our workplace work, contact Nick Gaskell