Looking ahead to future concepts across the commercial sector, we spotlight five upcoming architecture and design projects.
4 min read
First announced back in 2022, the much-anticipated Treehouse Hotel will be opening its doors in Manchester this summer, following a delayed opening announcement in early 2023. The Northern site marks the brand’s second UK location, with the first opening in London in 2021. Neighbouring Selfridges and the Manchester Arena, the city centre hotel will offer 216 rooms, multiple event spaces, a gym, a screening room and three food and drink destinations, among will be a restaurant and bar designed by Blacksheep across the 13th and 14th floors.
The hotel concept was created in collaboration with independent design studio 93ft and centres around sustainability, with guests invited to carve drawings into a living wooden art piece that will grow over time. Biophilic additions abound, and visitors can expect to see living green walls, rooftop gardens and even an apiary producing homegrown honey. Chef Mary-Ellen McTague will also be leading the Treehouse Hotel kitchen with a zero-waste menu, while Sam Grainger will oversee Blacksheep-designed bar alongside ex-Refuge curators Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford.
Led by fellow Mancunian and architecture giant Norman Foster, construction began on Manchester United’s Carrington Training Complex on 17 June this year. Now well-versed in the design of international sports venues – having helmed the redevelopment of both Wembley Stadium and Qatar’s Lusail 2022 World Cup stadium – Foster + Partners has an extensive redesign planned, centred around making the famous training grounds more collaborative and on a par with that of industry peers. Work is beginning on the gym as well as well as the medical, nutrition and recovery areas, which will reportedly form a more contemporary, unified hub for players and staff – alongside improvement works on the all-important pitch.
“Our aim is to modernise and revitalise the building as a catalyst for future footballing success, creating spaces that inspire a culture of collaboration, unity and belonging,” says Foster. “As a proud Mancunian, it is a particular honour for me to see Foster + Partners given this responsibility and we will ensure that our design captures the spirit of industry, grit and ambition that exemplifies both Manchester and Manchester United.”
Once a disused social club known as the Tate Institute, planning applications have been submitted to transform an East London building into a multi-use community facility. Local firm Office S&M Architects is set to lead the £1.5 million project, after winning a competition held by Newham Council – selected from a shortlist including Set Space with IDK, Design Cabin with Adams & Sutherland Architects, Money A&E, and the Royal Docks Welfare Association with PBD.
Office S&M are set to helm the design alongside operator ReSpace Projects, who intend to breathe new life into a formerly loved fixture of the local community. Newham’s Director of Community Wealth Building, Darren Mackin, said: “The Tate Institute served as a very important social hub for the workers and residents of Silvertown for many years. Our investment to bring this space will give the building new life and purpose. ReSpace is an exemplary social enterprise that will deliver on our social and community wealth-building ambitions for the building and the wider Silvertown area.”
Home to the Seeley Library and one of the famous ‘Red Trilogy’ buildings from the 1960s, the Stirling Building is set to undergo a rejuvenation under a design partnership between the world-renowned university and Manchester-based architects BDP. While the majority of the plans include renovating the building’s fabric for future generations – with carbon-saving and climate-resilient measures such as improved thermal comfort – two new pavilions have been proposed to improve accessibility and offer students more reading spaces. With great emphasis being placed on preserving the building’s original features, advisory firm Arup has provided heritage, civil, structural, engineering and accessibility consultation since 2021. The surrounding landscape is also set to be improved, in pursuit of more hospitable outdoor spaces and greater biodiversity.
“Our approach is faithful to the building diagram, with the emblematic nature of the architecture as the focal point of the restored building,” says Jessica Mailey, Architect Director at BDP. “The work will include some adaptation to the communal areas of the building to create flexible and inspiring spaces responsive to the University’s ever-changing requirements, while also respecting Stirling’s stylistic language.”
As part of Europe’s largest urban design project, the Grand Paris Express will introduce 68 new stations to the Ile-de-France region, with works expected to last until 2030. Each station is set to feature its own unique design by a different architect, with the overall scheme set to improve everything from passenger safety and accessibility to air quality and rider comfort.
Opening in time for the Paris Olympics (starting on 26 July), the Villejuif-Gustave Roussy station was designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture, while Saint-Denis–Pleyel (which opened on 24 June) was the vision of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and Amsterdam-based Benthem Crouwel Architects is still in the process of constructing the three above-ground metro stations and impressive viaduct at Orsay-Gif.
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