GREEN & BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE
GREEN-TECH PROVIDES LIGHTWEIGHT SOIL AND
LASER-CUT GRILLES
FOR AWARD-WINNING ‘ VERTICAL FOREST ’ HOTEL
Background : The area around the North and East of Manchester city centre has been undergoing a renaissance over recent years , with exciting development and refurbishment taking place . One such scheme is the stunning new bio-diverse , cubiststyle Leonardo Hotel .
Situated on the corner of Adair Street and Great Ancoats Street , the new 14-storey Leonardo Hotel replaced a weary looking 2-storey office building and adds a welcome link between the busy Piccadilly Station and the East Village Regeneration Zone .
Even before construction began , the scheme won a Society of Architects design award , one of the contributing factors undoubtedly being the 17 stunning Jenga-style tiered planting boxes : the architects , Stephenson Hamilton Risley Studio taking their inspiration from Milan ’ s Bosco Verticale ( vertical forest ).
The planters jut out from the main building at various heights , creating a juxtaposition of cantilevers not unlike a half-finished game of Jenga . Indeed , the planters were referred to as ‘ Jenga blocks ’ in the planning documents . Each planter is filled with shrubs , trees , and ferns , individually selected to thrive in the micro-climate created by each planting block .
The idea was to make an impact and add some much-needed green infrastructure and bio-diversity to Piccadilly ’ s East neighbourhood . The building certainly makes a statement and will house 275 luxury hotel rooms along with a ground floor bar , restaurant , gym and wellness suite , and outside seating area .
Green-tech involvement : Green-tech was invited to landscape architects Re-form ’ s offices in
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