Manchester’s iconic CIS tower to become £150M ‘vertical district’ with bars and restaurants

The former CIS skyscraper will be getting a whole new lease of life thanks to a massive £150M refurbishment project.

The project, commissioned by Castlebrooke Investments, will be transforming the building – which was once the tallest tower in Manchester before the arrival of the Beetham Tower back in 2006 –  into Society, a new ‘vertical district’ complete with restaurants, bars and shared workspaces.

Society will offer ‘all the facilities of a HQ environment with flexible workspaces, meeting rooms, conference suites and the convenience of on-site amenities’, according to Castlebrooke. 

Castlebrooke

The 425,000 sq ft building will be sectioned into three distinct parts; the Tower, which will feature 143,527 sq ft of workspace across twenty-six floors, the Podium, 207,379 sq ft of the ‘largest and most flexible office floor plates in Manchester’ and the Street, a space for food, drink, retail and leisure amenities at street level.

A spokesperson from Castlebrooke said: “The tower has been at the forefront of innovation in Manchester city centre since it was first erected in the 1960s.

“Our redevelopment strategy continues this forward-thinking tradition, re-imagining the building to form a vertical district that will attract distinct user types to its three component parts – tower, podium, and street – as the way we work and live in the city evolves.

Castlebrooke

“Together these components facilitate the coming together of a new society, offering all the facilities of a HQ environment with flexible workspaces, meeting rooms, conference suites and the convenience of on-site amenities, which are ideal for Manchester’s international business community.”

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, added: “Society complements the established neighbourhood of vibrant communities in this part of the city and marks an exciting new era for the building and a creative re-imagining of an established working environment, which Manchester’s business community will no doubt embrace.”

The plans for Society are still in their early stages so a finish date is yet to be announced – but you can stay posted with updates over on their website.