Stunning plans revealed for restoration of Rylands building in City Centre

And we have to say, from these images it looks incredible.

Located at the corner of Market Street and High Street in the heart of Manchester city centre, the Grade II listed building will undergo a complete refurbishment, which will include fully redeveloping the existing building, converting the upper floors into high-quality office space, and creating a shopping arcade on the ground floor.

In addition to the existing building, developers will add a four-storey extension, resulting in a ten-storey building that will boast high-quality office spaces, a shopping arcade, and a leisure area, predominantly for restaurants.

The transformation of the vacant building has already begun, with main works scheduled to start in 2023 and completion expected in early 2025.

Local construction company Russell WBHO, which specialises in listed and sustainable projects, will act as a construction partner for the project, while local property companies OBI and Barker Proudlove have been appointed as letting agents.

Designed to achieve Net Zero Carbon status, the renovation of the historic building will aim to achieve a certification for sustainable construction according to Breeam Excellent or Nabers 5*.

Stephan Schmid, Senior Vice President at AM alpha: “Working with listed buildings is always a great privilege. We are proud to be able to give this historic Manchester landmark a new future and restore Rylands to its former glory in a very sustainable way. In this way, we are also helping to achieve Greater Manchester’s 2038 carbon neutrality target.”

Overall, the transformation of Rylands into a modern mixed-use development is set to breathe new life into one of Manchester’s most iconic buildings, creating a space that will be both functional and visually stunning.

“It’s fantastic working with AM alpha on such an exciting project in our home town. Rylands is a well-known, impressive building,” says Will Lewis, founding director at OBI. “The property is close to bustling areas such as Piccadilly Gardens and the Northern Quarter and will appeal to many local businesses. Due to the sought-after location, we already see a lot of interest from potential future tenants.”