Wilmslow Park, Manchester
The largest modular project in the UK at the time comprising 10 storeys (7 storeys of modules) 1400 bedrooms of student and key worker accommodation required a design and construct period of just 15 months. The student population occupied their rooms, whilst the fit out of shops below continued.
New elements of this project include curved façade on the key worker flats, brise soleil to reduce solar gain and canopies over Wilmslow Road.
Major advancements in modular technology included special lift and stair modules to form a number of discrete cores around the development. Previously, cores have involved the erection of slow traditional steel framed structures with precast floors. All modules are structural and resist vertical loads and horizontal wind loads.
External cladding is a variety of rain screen systems including terracotta tiles to the road elevations (Manchester vernacular) and various coloured steel and render panels to the courtyard to break up the large elevations.
