New beginnings: the neighbourhood of St John’s is born in Manchester

A brand new neighbourhood has been in the making in Manchester on the former site of the Granada TV headquarters, courtesy of award winning developers Allied London and Manchester City Council. St John’s will span residential and commercial buildings, as well as plenty of public realm and green spaces in a masterplan designed by Simpson Haugh and Partners. Hotels, art and leisure are also planned to be incorporated in this ambitious scheme, set to be completed by 2019.
Geraghty Taylor Architects has been working on the interiors and the firm has just revealed its designs for the first two residential areas within St John's. Named South Village and St John’s Place Tower (and also known as ‘Village and Sky’, explains the developer), these two communities have been designed with a contemporary, yet village-like feel.
'We work from the premise of Brand before Building,' says the firm’s co-founder Brendan Geraghty. 'That means we want to fully understand our client’s brand and create or develop the story behind any project we approach. Architecture is not just about bricks and mortar; it is about facilitating communities, lives and neighbourhoods and creating the brand and culture to support that.'
Each of these two buildings has its own personality – the design at South Village is more craft-based, working with exposed materials; while the Tower ‘is inspired by mid-century classic design’, explains David Drews, St John’s' head of design.
Sales at South Village and St John’s Place Tower will open to the public in September 2016, while full completion is planned in 2018 for the former and 2019 for the latter.
Built to a masterplan by Simpson Haugh and Partners, St John's will include two dedicated residential buildings, South Village and St John’s Place Tower
Geraghty Taylor Architects has been working on the project's interiors – the firm has just released its vision for these first two residential builds
The Tower draws on classic mid-century design references...
... while at South Village the design is more craft-based, using exposed materials
Sales at South Village and St John’s Place Tower will open to the public in September 2016
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Geraghty Taylor Architects website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQ
In the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
By Jack Moss Published
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellion
The new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and Soldier
New exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
By Hannah Silver Published
-
This modern Cotswolds home draws on its ancient woodland context
This contemporary Cotswolds home, designed by NCA Architecture with interiors by Echlin, is a slice of the Mediterranean in the English countryside
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A Danish twist, compact architecture, and engineering magic: the Don’t Move, Improve 2025 winners are here
Don’t Move, Improve 2025 announces its winners, revealing the residential projects that are rethinking London living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This Hampstead house renovation in London transcends styles and periods
The renovation of a Hampstead house in London by Belgian architect Hans Verstuyft bridges the classic and the contemporary
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
New book takes you inside Frinton Park Estate: the Essex modernist housing scheme
‘Frinton Park Estate’, a new book by photographer James Weston, delves into the history of a modernist housing scheme in Essex, England
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Conran Building's refresh brings a beloved London landmark into the 21st century
Conran Building at 22 Shad Thames has been given a new lease of life by Squire & Partners, which has rethought the London classic, originally designed by Hopkins, for the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sadler’s Wells East opens: ‘grand, unassuming and beautifully utilitarian’
Sadler’s Wells East by O’Donnell and Tuomey opens this week, showing off its angular brick forms in London
By Tom Seymour Published
-
2025 Serpentine Pavilion: this year's architect, Marina Tabassum, explains her design
The 2025 Serpentine Pavilion design by Marina Tabassum is unveiled; the Bangladeshi architect talks to us about the commission, vision, and the notion of time
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
We celebrate the emerging London architects to be excited about
These emerging London architects are some of the capital's finest ground-breakers, movers and shakers; heralding a new generation of architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published