Cutting Room, Ancoats
Cutting Room is a public square in the heart of Ancoats. It was a true collaboration between landscape architect, artist, engineer, lighting designer and client. The square marks a void within the building network, a space reminiscing a forgotten building or awaiting a new one. The opening allows unusual diagonal views and movement across the rigid Ancoats grid. The sunken square is paved with mosaic setts as though a carpeted interior or revealed by an excavation. The Frames, five tall slender planar pre-cast concrete structures on the Hood Street building line contain ‘windows’ mounted with glass photographic images, evoking the remains of a former building wall and its windows. The tulip tree is all the more special for being the only tree. A range of lighting includes colour changing in response to interactive sensors and makes a compelling night time scene.
“The Ancoats public realm project has extended over a 7 year period, from forming the team to implementation. Throughout the whole of that time, the entire team have maintained a level of commitment to, and more importantly, a passion for the project that I have I not seen equalled in the 25 years I have been involved in projects of this nature. I can say with all sincerity that it has been a privilege to work with them.”
Lyn Fenton, New East ManchesterClient
New East Manchester
Date
2001 to 2010
Team
Civic Engineers / Simon Fenton Partnership, quantity surveyor / CivicWorks, artist