Landscape & Urban Design Issue 18 2016 | Page 52

Hardscape Helps Shape £800m Manchester City Centre Redevelopment Using modern contemporary materials but drawing on historic themes and design, Hardscape worked with Landscape Architects Planit-IE to help transform a space in the centre of Manchester. Sadler’s Yard and the surrounding public realm is part of the North West’s largest mixed-used regeneration scheme, set at the heart of the city’s NOMA redevelopment. The project is a joint venture by Hermes Real Estate, Manchester City Council and The Cooperative Group. Hardscape has been central to the creation of the scheme’s square – an 52 Landscape & Urban Design outdoor space designed to serve as an inspirational setting for Manchester’s creative communities. It is intended to be used for events and will be a focal point for pedestrians and patrons frequenting the many shops, cafes and restaurants, some within newly exposed basements of the Cooperative’s listed buildings. Linking the area’s history to its future, Hardscape worked with Planit-IE to select materials that echoed some elements of its financial district heritage. Complex diamond-pattern inlaid natural stone paving and Artscape motifs hark back to the marble floors that were a signature