HEAD OFFICE3- TORKINGTON BUILDING, STOPFORD PARK 63
HEAD OFFICE3- TORKINGTON BUILDING, STOPFORD PARK
The Torkington Building is entering a new phase of its history as Head Office3 transforms the former Stockport College building into contemporary homes, placing adaptive reuse at the centre of the wider Stopford Park regeneration.
Standing opposite Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery, the Torkington Building has been a familiar part of the town’ s skyline since the 1950s. Once home to Stockport College, the five-storey concrete-framed building is now being reimagined as a residential development, forming a key element of Cityheart’ s £ 140 million Stopford Park masterplan.
Head Office3 has been appointed as principal contractor to deliver the £ 23 million transformation, converting the former education building into 122 apartments for the build-to-rent market. Construction began in early 2025 and is scheduled for completion in autumn 2026.
Unlike a conventional redevelopment, the project is centred on retaining and repurposing the original reinforced concrete frame. This approach preserves much of the building’ s embodied carbon while avoiding the environmental impact associated with demolition and complete reconstruction. It also allows a well-known landmark to remain part of Stockport’ s evolving townscape.
The existing structure has required extensive investigation before construction could progress. Detailed structural surveys identified the condition and capacity of the original concrete frame, enabling engineers to determine where strengthening measures would be required to support its new residential use.
One of the most significant engineering interventions involves the addition of two lightweight storeys above the existing building. This extension increases residential capacity while working within the limitations of the original structure. Targeted strengthening, including carbon fibre reinforcement to selected columns and localised steel framing, has been introduced where necessary to accommodate the additional loads.
Internally, the building is being completely reconfigured to create modern apartments with shared resident amenities and a commercial unit at ground-floor level. Openings required for the new layouts have also necessitated structural alterations, with carefully positioned steel bracing introduced to maintain the building’ s lateral stability.
The Torkington Building forms one of four principal elements within Stopford Park. Alongside the residential conversion, the wider regeneration includes the new Bosden apartment building, the future 16-storey Lyme
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