ISG has been awarded a £13m contract by Queensberry Real Estate to refurbish levels two to five of the building, to create a 114-bedroom ‘aparthotel’ for operator Roomzzz.
The scheme is the second phase of a wider £30m investment to develop the building as a leisure destination. The ground and first floor levels have already been converted to restaurant and bar use, and will remain operational during work on the upper storeys.
ISG will start work in mid-August. It will carry out remedial works to the roof structure and install a cantilevered scaffold system at first floor level. ISG will then make significant structural alterations to the building’s floor slabs to introduce new service risers to accommodate new mechanical and electrical infrastructure.
Roomzzz Manchester Corn Exchange will use a combination of existing brick walls and new partitioning to create four room types, from apartments to penthouses, including a guest suite in the building’s turret, accessed via a new spiral staircase.
Three architecturally listed stair cores will be restored to create a historical feature within the hotel.
Andy McLinden, ISG’s Northern managing director, said: “The former Corn Exchange in Manchester is a very special and much-loved building and its latest evolution builds on the growing trend for hybrid guest accommodation in the city. This is a high-profile showcase of our capabilities delivering luxury hotel accommodation in a logistically challenging and busy city centre location, with the added complexity of working in an architecturally protected building.
“It’s a great challenge and an environment where we positively thrive as a business and there is a great deal of anticipation to get underway with the transformation of this iconic Manchester landmark.”
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