MediaCityUK

Manchester, UK

Located at the Quays on Salford’s waterfront, MediaCityUK has transformed this once derelict dockland into a significant media hub - home to the BBC, ITV, dock 10 and Salford University together with more than 200 media businesses

View project details

The scheme consists of a series of new public spaces - a large-scale piazza with flexible performance spaces, an intimate media park, and a bustling boulevard all set adjacent to the waterfront.

The scale of this large public realm delivers a dramatic new landscape for the city and will be a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding area. The formerly imposing Ship Canal dock edge has been stripped away to create a grand south facing stepped terrace down to the water’s edge.

Complementing the masterplan and the new architecture, the public realm has supported MediaCityUK’s achievement of becoming the first project in the world to receive a BREEAM ‘Communities Excellent’ accreditation.

The second phase of MediaCityUK is already underway. The ambitious £1 billion expansion plans will see the existing MediaCityUK development more than double in size with the addition of ten new buildings, providing 540,000 square feet of Grade A office space, 1,800 new apartments, retail and leisure spaces together with an extensive new public realm designed by Gillespies.

Awards

  • ٢٠١٣ BIFM Sustainability and Environmental Impact Award
  • ٢٠١١ North West Regional Construction Award
  • ٢٠١٠ Salford Design Awards: Best Public Realm
  • ٢٠٠٩ Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Award

"Gillespies landscaping [for MediaCityUK] is intelligent, for instance in the way it cuts through the high wharf edges to create broad steps down to the water, and offsets hard and soft landscape areas"

Hugh Pearman, RIBA Journal