WSP wins engineering contract on Manchester’s “vertical village”

Canadian-headquartered consultancy WSP and its Parsons Brinckerhoff subsidiary have been appointed to provide engineering services on Manchester’s "vertical village" scheme. 

The 1.9 ha Trinity Islands project (pictured), which is being developed by Allied London, will involve six towers grouped into two clusters on a city centre site formerly a part of an estate owned by the ITV television company. The tallest in each cluster will be 50 storeys. 

When complete, the interconnected towers will house 1,200 apartments. The brief will cover civil and structural engineering, building services, facade engineering, vertical transportation, geotechnical and fire assessments for the first phase of the scheme. 

WSP is already familiar with the project, having worked with architects Child Graddon Lewis on the planning application that will be submitted next month. 

Michael Ingall, chief executive of Allied London, said: "Trinity Islands will be a highly sustainable, high-density residential scheme that will provide a critical mass of residents to support the community, commercial and ancillary shopping and leisure spaces and create a vibrant, diverse and integrated village community." 

As well as the vertical village, the companies have been appointed to the redevelopment of two 1960s office blocks on Manchester’s Quay Street, one 11 and one six storeys high.  

These will be demolished and replaced by a 16 storey building housing offices and restaurants, designed by Bristol practice Stride Treglown. 

This scheme is being carried out for the West Midlands Pension Fund. WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff are providing a range of services including structural engineering, site investigation and environmental impact assessments. 

Peter Lloyd, the senior technical director of building structures at WSP, said the projects were "a chance for us to showcase our high rise credentials in the North West where, for a number of years throughout the recession, the market has lain low." 

The concept for Trinity Islands was unveiled at the MIPIM conference in March.

Image via Child Graddon Lewis