The London Warehouse at Ducey Street in Manchester was built in 1867 to store incoming and outgoing goods by rail, so there are double gates on the ground floor for trains to pass through. The eight-storey building is faced with brick, the frame consists of cast-iron supports and forged beams. An important part of the interior is brick cylindrical vaults, but the six-story spectacular atrium with glass ceilings was not envisaged by the original project, but appeared later. The warehouse has the status of a heritage site of the 2nd category.
Architects Archer Humphryes placed an apart-hotel of the Native chain in the building: on an area of 16,700 m2, there were 166 rooms for long-term stays, each with a kitchen. Their size is different - from 8 penthouses with their own terraced gardens to studios. The project budget is 23 million pounds.
The project emphasizes the rich texture of the old brick (the walls are one meter thick), vaulted ceilings, fragments of the frame, stone window sills, but most importantly - a huge atrium with natural ventilation and lighting. Bathrooms open out there, thus receiving sunshine and preserving the privacy of guests.
The sparsely located windows, which could neither be moved nor added with new ones, resulted in unusually spacious rooms. The windows on the façade and facing the atrium can be opened.
The ground floor houses the Cultureplex (restaurant, coffee shop, small cinema, event space, coworking space) and the Blok fitness center.
