Changing Perspective
We love underdog buildings. Those little overlooked gems just waiting for some attention so they can show off their hidden charms to the world. Just like 135-141 Oldham Street. Tucked away on the outer reaches of the Northern Quarter, this unloved piece of Manchester’s post war modernist legacy had been under the radar until developers Bywater Properties saw its potential and asked us to help them revive it.
The building has a unique feature for a structure of its size, a 3 story atrium running inside the front facade. However, this was dead space. It formed a barrier between the street and the interior workspace and desperately needed reactivating.
Concept
Our idea was to create a series of strong visual connections between the street, the atrium and the space behind. Inspired by the language of early modernism and The Bauhaus we proposed to connect these through 3 structures and 3 colours.
The atrium is repurposed as break-out space with desks overlooking the street. Two new meeting rooms punch through into the atrium as floating, coloured cubes and the front door is connected to the core interior with a dramatic red tunnel. The facade receives extra animation with a giant graphic mural visually connecting the structural additions behind.
Building a Brand
With the creative strategy for the building in place we set about developing a brand to reposition it in the market.
Aimed at young, creative businesses who love the Northern Quarter area, we rebranded the building as Northstar. The brand identity and graphic language was influenced by the bold architectural moves on the facade. As the works completed on site we developed a teaser campaign, website and animated content to help market the development ahead of completion.
Connecting the Community
One of the things we love most is creating opportunities for buildings to be activated, either helping curate potential tenants or temporary uses that align with what the place is about. Upon completion of Northstar we celebrated by inviting people from the creative community over and allowing them to do what they do best.
We invited photographer Madeleine Penfold and champions of sustainable fashion, The Manchester Fashion Movement to collaborate with us, to work with local clothing brands, students and models and host a fashion shoot in the building.
Check the movie below for the full story.
