A new serviced apartment project is slated to open this month in Manchester, England. The Native Manchester will be an adaptive reuse of a Grade II-listed building that is being re-imagined by David Archer of Archer Humphreys Architects, the firm behind Chiltern Firehouse and the new Standard Hotel, London.
When the property opens, it will be Native’s biggest opening to date, spread across six floors of the Ducie Street Warehouse, a former Victorian cotton warehouse located close to Manchester Piccadilly Station. The complex will have 166 apartments, including eight penthouse apartments with a private outdoor terrace.
The Ducie Street Warehouse is a former brick-and-iron framed warehouse built in 1867 to store cotton bails before being distributed to the mills in London (thus giving the building its alternative name, "The London Warehouse").
The warehouse was one of four that was originally built at the time and the only one remaining from that era. Much of the original detailing is still evident; in particular, the wide cast-iron columns supporting large riveted wrought-iron girders, cast-iron floor joists and brick barreled ceilings.
The building is being completely transformed to provide 166 aparthotel units, including studio, one- and two-bedroom units together with an all-day bistro, co-working space, cocktail bar, barber and flower shop on the double-height ground floor.
Native operated the building under its old name of The Place Aparthotel until it closed in April 2017 to undergo a 15-month refurbishment. When re-launched, the building will bear its original name, Ducie Street Warehouse, staying true to the role it played in Manchester’s history.
The property will retain the wide cast-iron columns and exposed brickwork, to be contrasted with blues and reds in a nod to the building’s industrial heritage. From studios, to two-bedroom deluxe penthouses with roof terraces, each apartment will have city views, a kitchen and handpicked 20th Century furniture sourced by Conran.
Also moving into Ducie Street Warehouse will be Cultureplex, a ground floor social hub from London restaurateurs David Waddington and Pablo Flack. Cultureplex will include a restaurant (Bistrotheque), a mini cinema, bar, coffee counter and events and workspaces.
Fitness brand, Blok will also be opening its first studio outside of London. It will be set across three studios.
When it opens, Native Manchester will join Native Bankside and Native Glasgow, both opening in 2018. Future sites under development include Leeds, York, Bristol, Oxford and London’s Soho.
Photo credit: Native Manchester