Media CityUK, Salford Quays : Photos

£70m B4 BUILDING GOES IN FOR PLANNING Sheppard Robson has submitted planning for the ‘B4 Building’; a highly sustainable 32,000m² mixed use building at Peel Media Ltd’s burgeoning Media CityUK development. Media CityUK is located in the heart of Salford Quays, a visionary 200 acre site designated as the UK’s first digital and creative community – the BBC is a key tenant there, with further media heavyweights expected to follow. Subject to consent, the B4 Building will accommodate a diverse range of arts, media, educational, retail and 20,000m² of office space - a bold development on an unprecedented scale in the area - demonstrating Peel Media Ltd’s commitment to Media CityUK; B4 is a high specification prime city centre building in an out of town location. The building, fronting the piazza is designed in two ‘finger’ elements orientated to Quays Points and the heart of the MediaCityUK masterplan. These are clad in ‘ribon’ like aluminium panels, whose design not only create a visually striking appearance, but have been developed to offer the best possible environmental performance. Between these two elements is the north tower, with its ‘digital’ façade made up of strips of mineral resin cladding interspersed with ‘glowing pixels’. Sheppard Robson is working alongside Envirolink North West, a regional body developing the latest sustainable building technologies and waste and recycling intiatives, and the Carbon Trust, a government initiative working to reduce carbon emissions. The result; a BREEAM excellent project set to push the boundaries of sustainable construction and design. Offsite manufacturing techniques, normally associated with residential construction, will be employed to minimise waste – structurally insulated panel system successfully used on Sheppard Robson’s ‘Light House’, the UK’s first Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6 zero carbon house; providing a high level of air tightness, super insulation and minimising waste on site. Commercial office buildings are commonly associated with unadorned, formal receptions and granite toilets – but this is a media city and the designers have tailored a media environment. The reception is transformed into an interactive ‘news desk’ with pixallated wall cladding and the open, spacious floorplates will provide flexible accommodation for a diverse tenant mix. Tony O’Brien, B4’s design director, is eagerly anticipating the chance to join the Media City revolution: “This is an ambitious project on a scale previously unseen in Salford Quays. Buildings of this sort of quality are usually found in the City of London or Canary Wharf - our design brief is to match that quality, tailor the design to media tenants and go green. There is so much potential on this 200 acre site and we fully believe B4 can become a local landmark”. Subject to planning permission, start on site will begin later this year, with the project completing in 2011.