Hawkins\Brown – Calico, Manchester

Calico is a sensitively refurbished industrial warehouse in Manchester’s city centre.  

Providing flexible workspace across five original storeys and a two-storey roof extension, Calico celebrates a new period in the building’s history, while recognising its former use as an industrial warehouse.  

A mixed palette of materials carefully introduces colour, texture and detail throughout. The entrances are inviting, animated, and well connected, and engage more actively with the surrounding streetscape. The Mosley Street entrance has a new ‘shop front’ glazing which creates high-quality frontage and improved accessibility to the street. A welcoming reception area – designed in collaboration with local artist Lazerian – provides shared tenant amenity and facilities for small scale events.  

The upper floors are accessed via a new core that clusters around an upgraded lift, new stairs, superloos and kitchenette. The new fourth floor includes additional shared amenity in the form of a small co-work lounge and external terrace.