Timber Wharf

Timber Wharf, with the adjacent Boxworks, were amongst the first of a raft of new and conversion residential projects in the area west of Castlefield. The developer, Urban Splash, won countless awards for its schemes and commissioning. Urban Splash offset risk by acknowledging the value of design, combined with clever marketing. Many more schemes now compete for attention, most notably completions by Shed KM (Moho, 2005), John McAslan (St. George’s Island, 2005) and Stephenson Bell (Vie Building, 2007). This scheme was a competition winner from over 160 entries and handles the narrow canal side site elegantly. The nine-storey building sits parallel to the street, and the podium supports private car parking and gardens whilst closing the scheme to the canal. Prominent is the strong vertical emphasis of the pre-cast concrete fin walls that divide the 182 apartments and form the main structure.