Old Granada Studios

An historic building in Manchester, formerly the site of Old Granada Studios, is being redeveloped. The nine-storey office building will provide 64,000 square feet of office space, along with retail units in the basement, and on the ground floor level. Peter Marshall Steel Stairs are to design, detail, manufacture, deliver to site and erect steel stairs for the office and retail spaces on this project.

Bowmer and Kirkland are working on the redevelopment of the building which has a long history within television in the UK. A number of significant TV shows were first broadcast from this site, which is synonymous with soap operas and quiz shows like University Challenge.

The redevelopment of this historic site includes new buildings in the neighbourhood. All of which are designed to create a thriving area with new housing, leisure facilities, retail outlets and workspaces, specifically for creative industries.

Part of the ambitious scheme is the development of a new 10 storey office block on an adjoining plot to the Old Granada Studios. This demolished annex building used to accommodate dressing rooms and the make-up department for the studio.

In terms of sustainability and renewable energy features, the office space will include occupancy and daylight linked lighting controls, heat recovery ventilation, water conserving sanitation and energy efficient LED lighting. The offices were awarded an EPC A rating and BREEAM Very Good standard.

The development has been split into a number of different zones, with office and event space formerly used by Granada at a television studio. Other zones include office space, retail space, a hotel and a restaurant in a three storey adjoining structure.

As part of this development, Peter Marshall’s steel stairs include the internal north stair core, which involves 23 flights with 12 half landings. This includes steel balustrade and a wall rail. The external south stair core involves 21 flights, with 10 half landings, including steel balustrades.