ONE ANGEL SQUARE

One Angel Square[1] is an office building in Manchester, England. Construction work began in 2010
and was completed in February 2013. The landmark building is the head office of the Co-operative
Group. Standing 72.5 metres (237.8 feet) tall, the building forms the centrepiece of the new £800
million NOMA development in the northern quarter of Manchester city centre. The building cost at
least £105 million to construct and was sold on leaseback terms in 2013 for £142 million.

One Angel Square is one of the most sustainable large buildings in Europe and is built to a BREEAM
'Outstanding' rating.[12] It is powered by a biodiesel cogeneration plant using rapeseed oil to
provide electricity and heat.[10] The structure makes use of natural resources, maximising passive
solar gain for heat and using natural ventilation through its double-skin facade, adiabatic cooling,
rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling and waste heat recycling.[15]

The building's distinctive form has been compared to a sliced egg and a ship.[16] Its design was
announced by architects 3DReid in May 2009 and construction began in July 2010 with a projected
completion date in March 2013. In December 2012, the scheme surpassed its pan-European
sustainability aims and achieved a world-record BREEAM score of 95.32%.[17] It is also an energy-
plus building, producing surplus energy and zero carbon emissions. The building has received
numerous awards for its striking aesthetic and sustainability aims.

Background

The Co-operative Group announced plans to move from its headquarters on Miller Street and
Corporation Street to a new site in the Greater Manchester area in 2007.[18] From 2007 to 2011, the
group grew strongly according to CEO Peter Marks, membership doubled to six million and revenue
and profits also doubled.[19] Takeovers of Somerfield and the Britainnia Building Society fuelled
impetus for new head offices to accommodate the growth.[20]

In December 2008, the group announced it would remain in Manchester city centre and would
regenerate land opposite its Miller Street base.[21] The new building is close to Angel Meadow the
site of a 19th-century slum described by Friedrich Engels as 'hell on earth'.[22] Archaeologists
conducted a survey in 2010, which continued into 2012.[23]

The CIS Tower and the Co-operative Bank's Balloon Street headquarters are unaffected by the
development.[24] New Century Hall, home to Co-operative Food,[25] the Dantzic, Hanover, Redfern
and Federation Buildings will be vacated and renovated for let.[26]

In 2011 the Co-operative announced the NOMA project, north of Manchester city centre, to
regenerate a 20-acre site with office, retail, residential and hotel space to encourage visitors from
the city centre. Manchester City Council contributed £20m to the project as an incentive for
redevelopment.[27]

In December 2011 the Co-operative announced its new headquarters would be known as 'One Angel
Square'.
Construction

Construction work began in July 2010 soon after planning permission was granted.[28] The first task
was installing the 539 pile foundations - each at an average depth of 18 metres.[29] Work soon
began on assembling the 3,300 tonnes of steel and 1,948 coffered concrete floor slabs which make
up the structure of the building.[29] BAM Construction was the main building contractor. Specialist
services were supplied by Buro Happold for structural and fire engineering[10] and Austrian-based
Waagner Biro was commissioned to build the double skin façade.[11] The structure was digitally
modelled by BAM before commencing assembly and construction to improve safety and create a
building schedule thus saving time during the construction process.[30]

More than 4,000 workers from over 90 companies were involved in the building's construction
making it the largest building site outside South East England.[24][31] Construction fell behind in
winter 2010–2011, but is back on schedule.[25] The building was topped out in November 2011 and
work began assembling the bronze-coloured diagonal panels of exterior façade.[32] The panels were
installed using roped access techniques.[33]

An estimated £17m of building materials out of the total £100m cost has been locally sourced
reducing embodied energy and minimising environmental impact.[34] Mecanoo and Manchester-
based Royal Haskoning designed the landscape in front of the building.[11]

Architecture

The Manchester division of 3DReid designed the building with a brief to create a green, landmark
building for the city. The building's distinctive form was conceived in a notebook sketch by the lead
architect for the building, Mike Hitchmough.[39] The form was refined and developed, before being
unveiled to the public in May 2009.[40]

The building's interior primarily consists of open plan space and can accommodate up to 4,000
staff.[41] The building has 327,643 sq ft (30,439 sq m) of total space - approximately 29,000 sq ft
(2,694 sq m) per floor.[28] In keeping with the building's green credentials, employees will be
encouraged to use public transport or cycle to work. Facilities have been created to encourage
cycling by providing 105 cycle stands.[42]

Form

The building has been nicknamed the 'sliced egg' because of its distinctive shape.[16] A focal point is
the diagonal slice which creates a nine-floor high atrium with its glass roof tilted towards the south,
maximising daylight and passive solar gain.[43] The structure has three internal concrete cores in the
form of an equilateral triangle.[43] Steel was utilised as the building main material, its strength
allows for large column-free floors needed in an open plan building.[9]

The building's exterior has a double skin facade with a cavity between its inner windows and the
outer glass panel structure. The double skin facade is for sustainability and aesthetic reasons - and
allows for greater control of heating and ventilation, and accentuates the three curved corners of
the building. To accentuate the form further, the exterior aluminium structure holding the glass
panels in place has been anodised in a bronze-coloured finish, so it will shimmer in the sun. The
facade was originally to be powder-coated but the client decided to spend an additional £120,000 on
a bronze anodised finish. This excess was justified as being cheaper over 50 years than using a
powder coated finish which would required maintenance.[44] The building's form has been
compared with The Ark and City Hall in London.[44]

Sustainability

Detail of the double skin façade that increases natural ventilation. There is a walkway between the
inner and exterior façade panels for maintenance and solar shading.

The building is one of the largest in Europe to have a BREEAM outstanding distinction as a result of
its high, sustainable energy credentials.[45] In December 2011 the building achieved the highest
recorded BREEAM score, making it one of the most sustainable large buildings in the world.[17]

The open atrium faces south to collect heat from the sun, an example of passive solar building
design.[45] The diagonal slice is angled to the south to allow sunlight to pass into the upper floors
and atrium. The sun emits electromagnetic radiation in the form of ultraviolet, but changes to
infrared when it passes through glass. This creates heat inside the building and overheating will be
countered by five stepped curved shades above the atrium which prevent sunlight overheating the
building and stops glare. In winter, louvres atop the double-skin façade are closed to maintain the
warm air generated in the building. In summer, the opposite occurs and louvres atop the double-skin
façade open and consequently expel hot, rising air from the building to reduce overheating.[46]

The building's sustainable cogeneration heat and power plant uses bio-fuel and waste cooking oil. Its
computer systems will recycle waste heat. The building has a used water recycling system and
rainwater harvesting.[45] Thermal mass materials which have a high density such as concrete are
used to control temperature fluctuations.

The Co-operative Group

The Co-operative Group is a British consumer cooperative with a diverse family of retail businesses
including: Food, Insurance, Funeralcare, Legal Services and Electricals.