Fraser House is a renowned historic Victorian building on the edge of Manchester’s Chinatown, designed by Edward Walters, part of Manchester’s “palazzo” architectural movement, which has stood vacant for many years.​ The proposal is to work entirely within the confines of the listed building and accommodate 14 apartments, a mix of 1 and 2 bed on the upper floors, whilst the lower and upper ground floors will house a restaurant, as per the recent history of the building.

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Our approach has focused on “taking what the building gives us”, utilising the loading bay as the restaurant entrance, and the existing Charlotte Street entrance and feature staircase to access the residential units from the first floor upwards. All significant heritage features have been retained and the units themselves are of an industrial loft style with exposed brickwork, cast iron columns, and historic features. 

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The process has included extensive consultation with Manchester City Council and the full involvement of the whole design team from the inception to achieve a practical, viable, and sympathetic scheme to bring the building back to life.