Building on a Rich History
Campfield has always been a place where people come together.
From its origins as a Victorian market hall to its later life as an exhibition space, it has played many roles in Manchester’s story. But as the city has modernised, Campfield’s purpose began to look uncertain. The challenge wasn’t how to preserve the building, but how to give it new relevance.
A Bold Vision for the Future
Allied London invited us to work with them to shape Campfield’s next chapter. To create a new design concept to reignite its relevance and purpose. A place where a new generation would want to spend time in.
Conceived as more than a workplace, our mission was to create an innovation hub that brings people together, sparks collaboration, and inspires creativity for the next generation of businesses.
We started by understanding the building and its setting in Castlefield: an area shaped by industry, innovation and reinvention. From this came a simple organising idea, Air + Space + Cloud, a way of thinking about openness, flexibility and connection, both physical and digital.
This idea became the framework for the entire project. It informed how people move through the building, how spaces adapt over time, and how work, community and culture could exist together.
Industrial Rehab
Inspired by the rehabilitation and creative reuse of buildings in the docklands and industrial hinterlands of New York and the Netherlands we put pen to paper to flesh out a design concept for the campus.
The ground floor brings energy and flexibility to the forefront, with modular studio spaces designed to adapt to the changing needs of tech startups. 'Garden-office' areas spill into the central atrium, a planted “green street”, a meeting space where spontaneous conversations spark innovation.
The mezzanine level opens up into a flexible co-working zone, filled with unique meeting pavilions that create intimate, creative spaces. It's where teams can collaborate, innovate, and grow together.
At the centre of it all is a social hub, a dynamic event space, café, bar, and lounge, designed to bring people together, nurture connections, and foster a sense of community.
A Collaborative Process
Alongside the spatial vision, we helped articulate the story of Campfield in a way stakeholders could understand and support. Through narrative-led materials, including a concept newspaper and brochure, we made the future of Campfield tangible, supporting engagement, alignment and progress through planning.
Today, Campfield is positioned as a hub for tech, creative and community-led organisations. A place rooted in history, but designed for what comes next.
For us, Campfield shows the value of taking a story-first approach to place-making — creating spaces with clarity, character and purpose, where people and ideas can thrive.
