University forced to chop four storeys off £90m scheme in new plans to be submitted this December
Manchester Metropolitan University has unveiled pared-back proposals for its new Hawkins Brown-designed library following a cost-cutting redesign.
The original £90m scheme to replace the university’s All Saints Library, approved in February last year, was a 13-storey building with a distinctive zig-zag design punctuated with small circular windows.
But the university (MMU) put the brakes on the scheme earlier this year after admitting that the original plans had become unviable.
Last month it revealed it had been forced to cut four storeys off the scheme and reduce its floorpsace by almost half, saying the previous design had been “developed prior to significant cost escalations within the construction sector”.
Specialist library architect Schmidt Hammer Larsen, which had collaborated with Hawkins Brown on the original scheme, is also understood to be no longer working on the project.
MMU has now launched a first round of public consultation on the new nine-storey scheme and is expecting to submit a full planning application in December.
The scheme will replace the existing All Saints building with a purpose-built, digitally enabled facility designed to support study, research, and collaboration.
A portion of the existing All Saints building will be retained and refurbished under the plans, which the university said will feature light-filled interiors, flexible study areas, new green spaces, improved pedestrian routes and welcoming social areas.
MMU chief property officer Andrew Fallon said: “This project is an exciting milestone for our campus and a cornerstone of our evolving estates strategy. Driven by a bold vision for the future, the new Library will be a landmark development, reflecting our commitment to outstanding education, world-class research, and a more connected, vibrant campus experience for all.”
The public consultation runs from October 23 to November 21.
The project team has retained planning consultant Deloitte, landscape architect Planit and Buro Happold on multiple roles including structural and civil engineer, facade engineer, MEP engineer and fire engineer.
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