Manchester City Council has given the green light for two office buildings at the centre of the NOMA estate.

2 and 3 Angel Square will jointly create around 440,000 sqft of Grade A office space, setting a new benchmark for sustainability, wellbeing, smart connectivity and flexible use of amenity spaces.

Designed to connect with the public realm around NOMA, and to encourage collaboration and interaction, the new buildings will be net zero carbon operational energy (as defined by the UK Green Building Council), targeting BREEAM Outstanding and a five star NABERS rating.

The introduction of a contemporary 'piano nobile' will help to activate the adjacent public square and creates a second level of engagement with the public realm through an open, colonnaded and glazed upper ground floor level. A mix of complementary uses and interconnecting spaces will create an inviting entrance for tenants and the wider community.

Locating all services in the buildings' floorplates enables a clear cross-laminated timber soffit to be used.


Wellbeing is at the heart of the design, with excellent levels of natural light and access to outdoor space for office workers. Other features include a potential rooftop restaurant and garden terraces including a water feature.

The façade of the buildings will be in keeping with the heritage buildings in the NOMA estate. Designed using circular economy principles, they will be made of fully reusable glazed terracotta panels which will be scalloped and angled to reflect the sun differently throughout the day.

Variation in window openings and the changing widths of terracotta panels creates an asymmetry and visual interest designed to prompt the viewer to stop and explore the façade further. This visual interest is cleverly created using just three different terracotta modules, each with a differing profile and depth of reveal.

Proportions of solid to glass vary across each façade to optimise natural daylight levels and thermal performance, whilst minimising solar gain dependent on aspect.

The profile of the terracotta mimics ripples and folds of cotton on a loom, whilst the colour palette has been taken directly from the limited palette used by LS Lowry in his paintings of Angel Meadows. These are both references to the social and historical context of the scheme, which sits on the former site of Arkwright's 18th Century mills and ponds.

More than 250 cycle spaces are planned for across the two buildings as well as facilities to encourage active travel.

By using the east-west level change to their advantage, the design team have effectively 'buried' amenities such as cycle storage, waste facilities and car parking in the lower part of the site.

It is predicted that the development of 2 and 3 Angel Square will create 4,400 new jobs once complete and employ around 400 construction workers whilst on site.

Work is due to start in early 2023.