Ancoats Dispensary

The iconic Grade II listed Ancoats Dispensary, close to Manchester city centre, was built in 1874 to provide healthcare for the city’s growing population alongside the Royal Infirmary. The local landmark remained in use until 1989 but has remained vacant since then which has led to the building progressively deteriorating with scaffolding currently holding up what remains of the existing structure.

Designed for Great Places Housing Trust, our proposals will provide a mixture of 39 one- and two-bedroom apartments, which will be available for affordable rent.

As such, the proposals have been developed to keep and restore the façades to Old Mill Street and Lampwick Lane, which are of higher heritage significance. A new steel structure will be used to permanently hold the historic façades in place. The central tower, which was previously removed from the site due to structural and safety concerns, is also proposed to be rebuilt.

The building footprint will be extended to the south by 4m to accommodate the required number of units and a small modern rooftop extension will be introduced, which will step back from Old Mill Street to allow the central tower to be the main focus of the design.

The south and west façades are to be newly built using a brick to match the tone of the side elevation. The façades to the top floors will be powder coated in bronze to provide a warm tone that complements the brickwork while creating a distinction between old and new. Windows are proposed in a regular pattern to the south of the building to create good symmetry in the design and a clear separation is proposed between the existing Lampwick Lane façade and the proposed extension, using curtain wall glazing.