Parkside Cultural Centre
A new public room for a Manchester neighbourhood without one.
A council-led commission for a multi-use cultural building on the edge of Heaton Park: library, performance space, café, and community rooms, on a tight infill site bordered by listed terraces on three sides. The brief asked for a building that "feels like it's always been there" without being pastiche.
We took the rhythm of the surrounding Victorian brick terraces and reinterpreted it in a colonnade of slim concrete arches along the park-facing elevation, behind which a fully glazed reading room runs the length of the building. The auditorium is sunk a half-storey to keep the roofline aligned with the neighbouring eaves. Two consultation rounds with local residents shaped the entry sequence and the materials palette.
Planning permission granted unanimously in early 2025. Construction begins late this year with completion targeted for 2027. The proposal was shortlisted for a regional public-architecture award at the planning stage — unusually early for the prize.