Two St Peter's Square

Two St Peter's Square is a high-rise office building in St. Peter's Square, Manchester, England. Designed by SimpsonHaugh and Partners, the scheme was controversial as it involved the demolition of a 1930s Art Deco but unlisted building.[3][4]

Two St Peter's Square
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeHigh-rise office
Architectural styleModern classical
LocationSt Peter's Square, Manchester,
Greater Manchester,
England, United Kingdom
Coordinates53°28′41″N 2°14′33″W
Construction started2015
Completed2017[1]
Cost£80 million[2]
Height60 m (200 ft)
Technical details
Floor count11[2]
Floor area162,000 sq ft (15,100 m2)[2]
Design and construction
Architect(s)SimpsonHaugh and Partners
Website
http://twostpeterssquare.com/

Century House
Century House in 2010

The site of Two St Peter's Square was previously occupied by four buildings: Century House, Sussex House, Bennett House and Clarendon House.[2]

Century House was built in 1934[5] for the Friends Provident Society, a Quaker-friendly society that provided life insurance. It was constructed using Portland stone,[6] and featured a relief sculpture of George Fox,[4] as well as ornate carvings on the side of the six-storey building.[5]

A campaign was started in June 2013 to save Century House.[5] The Twentieth Century Society strongly objected to the plans to demolish the building.[7] Manchester City Council approved the demolition of Century House on 25 July 2013.[8]

Two St Peter's Square

The new building contains 162,000 sq ft (15,100 m2) of space over 11 storeys, consisting of 157,000 sq ft (14,600 m2) of office space and 5,142 sq ft (477.7 m2) of shops, as well as a 43-space basement car park.[4] The building is faced with stone, with a complex lattice structure on the side. Plans were submitted in 2013,[6] and it was completed in early 2017.[1] It was a speculative development, with no pre-arranged tenants.[2]

Separate posts to carry over tram cables were installed in August 2014 so the current assemblage of buildings could be demolished – before these were constructed, the cables were attached to the building structures. Hoardings and scaffolding were installed in November 2014 in preparation for demolition.

Three other high-rise blocks have been built adjacent to Two St Peter's Square: a 14-storey office building known as One St Peter's Square completed in 2014,[9] a 14-storey office building named Landmark on the site of the former Odeon Cinema completed in 2019,[10] and 3 St Peter's Square, a 20-storey building containing a Motel One and Staycity aparthotel, completed in 2022.[11]

Occupancy

As of January 2021, the building is occupied by the Department for Work and Pensions, Ernst & Young, Knights, Distrelec, Gravitas Recruitment Group, and Cazenove Capital, part of Schroders.[12] A coffee shop and a Wagamama restaurant occupy the ground floor.[13]

References
  1. Young, Natasha (24 March 2017). "Manchester's Two St Peter's Square reaches practical completion". Move Commercial. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  2. "Dones to unveil £80m tower". Manchester Evening News. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  3. "Critics hit out at Ian Simpson's St Peters Square office plans". Architects Journal. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  4. "Century House Bites The Dust: Long Live Two St Peter's Square". Manchester Confidential. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  5. "The end of the Century? Not if we can help it". Manchester Evening News. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  6. "Major New Building For City Centre Manchester". Manchester Confidential. 13 May 2013.
  7. "Century House Manchester threatened by demolition". The Twentieth Century Society. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  8. "Planning and Highways Committee meeting". 25 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  9. "One St Peter's Square". skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  10. "Crane survey tracks 'unprecedented levels' of construction in Manchester". 30 January 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  11. "Russell WBHO tops out at St Peter's Square". Place North West. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  12. "Two St Peter's Square fully let". Place North West. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  13. "Schedule of Areas". Two St Peter's Square. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
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