Kampus from Mecanoo in Manchester

In the center of Manchester, the Delft-based architecture firm Mecanoo developed “Kampus”, a new residential district on the site of the former Manchester Metropolitan University campus. The brick buildings with a Victorian history now house 533 apartments and a hidden garden in between.

The new urban quarter in Manchester, called “Kampus”, consists of a total of five buildings, including a high point that originates from the Brutalist style of the 1960s. “The Stack”, as the high-rise is called, is dominated by strict lines and exposed concrete, which is also present inside the building in the form of unclad coffered ceilings. From the balconies and the building’s communal roof terrace, residents can look out over the entire city.

Kampus is a new quarter in Manchester’s city center

The buildings christened “North Block” and “South Block” are the latest additions to Manchester’s skyline. Unrendered red bricks characterize the façades of the two blocks. In addition, the rows of windows are staggered horizontally and are occasionally broken up with sheet metal frames.

The Minshull Warehouse is a former dispatch warehouse from the time of the industrial revolution. The listed building once played a central role in the city’s flourishing textile industry. Today, it houses some of Kampus’ most exclusive apartments. Spacious living areas and high ceilings characterize the apartments, as do the partly unclad supporting and beamed structures. Another former warehouse that now houses apartments is the “Minto & Turner”, which was once used to store cotton.

Finally, “The Bungalow” serves as the neighborhood’s “town hall” and is centrally located in the garden of the complex. From there, you can look out over the water of the nearby Rochdale Canal. The hall from the 1960s stands on concrete stilts and houses facilities such as pop-up restaurants and makerspaces. The building is also equipped with a complete catering kitchen. The residents of the complex can use this for their own events in the “Bungalow”.

Most of the apartments available in “Kampus” are furnished. Their furnishings are deliberately varied and range from modernist approaches of the 1960s to contemporary living.

You can find more information about “Kampus” in Manchester on the project website.