Downley Drive, Ancoats, Manchester
Main Contractor: Rowlinson | End client: Great Places Housing Group | Architect: Buttress | Engineer: Carley Daines Value: £2,210,000 | Project Duration: Summer 2024 – Autumn 2025
Mansell is playing a pivotal role in the development of Downley Drive, a new residential apartment scheme located in the vibrant heart of Ancoats, Manchester. Delivered for Rowlinson and Great Places Housing Group, the project will produce 52 modern homes, addressing the critical need for affordable housing in one of Manchester’s most sought-after areas.
Our scope of work includes the design, supply, and installation of a light gauge steel frame, along with finishing and fire-stopping elements. This full package of works is a great example of our ability to deliver considered, compliant and high-quality solutions for urban residential developments.
Project Overview
The project comprises 52 apartments over five storeys (ground floor plus four levels), with a mix of 27 one-bedroom and 25 two-bedroom units. The design also includes practical amenities such as an internal bin store, plant room, and secure cycle storage.
Located next to the Rochdale Canal, the development joins many others in the successful regeneration of Ancoats, creating a Manchester suburb that’s big on community and perfectly blends modern living with invigorating natural spaces.
Through our offsite approach and our onsite finishing skills, we’ve been able to provide project certainty to our client.
Challenges and Solutions
Tight Site and Logistics
The bustling city centre location of the project presented logistical challenges due to the tight site and proximity of other developments. Coordinating deliveries and ensuring smooth on-site operations required meticulous planning from our team.
On challenging sites like this, Mansell’s factory-assembled light gauge steel frame approach is really able to shine, enabling a just-in-time delivery strategy which significantly reduces the need for storage space on site. At Downley Drive, this worked because of the streamlined installation process, where deliveries are scheduled in advance and finalised to suit progress on site. On top of everything else, this provides certainty around on-time delivery of components.
The robust pre-manufacture design process, coordination of all interfacing trades, and the manufacture, delivery and erection process combine to ensure a smooth build schedule where time-consuming mistakes and delays can otherwise throw a tight site into disarray. What’s more, we delivered the panels pre-insulated, including brick tie channels, again saving time on site and streamlining the project’s programme.
Innovation and Collaboration
One of the standout aspects of this project was Mansell’s early engagement in the design process. By participating in design team meetings, we were able to consult on key aspects of the structural design, including modelling a pre-existing foundation layout into the scheme and optimising the frame for speed, cost, and sustainability. We’ve spoken frequently about the need for the industry to embrace collaboration and this project was an exercise in what results strong collaboration can bring.
By truly embracing collaboration and early engagement, the scheme has been able to reap the benefits of offsite MMC. That means
Reduced build time
More project certainty and peace of mind for our client
Enhanced precision and durability
Improved sustainability through waste minimisation
Efficient design decisions that work in conjunction with interfacing trades and finishes
Early clash detection and buildability solutions.
Sustainability & social value
In conjunction with Metsec, our rigorous design process and our off-site construction methods provide a reduction in embodied carbon when compared to traditional construction methods. Our LGSF panels are manufactured and delivered when ready for construction with no waste on site.
We pre-insulated our panels in our factory rather than cutting installation and disposing on site. This method reduced waste on the project in the region of 20% and the factory process became slicker and faster with each floor as we learnt along the way. The end result was less time on site, fewer deliveries of materials to site and a more sustainable approach.
Mansell is proud to offer our own in-house training programme, which provides more specialised MMC-focused training than allowed by traditional apprenticeships. During the on-site finish phase of the project, a number of our directly employed trainees will be working on the scheme, a great opportunity for them to develop their spray plastering skills further.
What our partners at Metsec say
“voestalpine Metsec’s Metframe division is pleased to have played a major role in the delivery of this high-profile development. The longstanding and ongoing partnership with Mansell has led to the successful completion of many similar projects in the region and demonstrates our joint commitment to the future of the MMC type 2 method of construction.
Mansell led the development at tender stage and engaged Metframe to complete the design and provide all the cold-rolled sections required to meet the client’s requirements. This included the design-only element of any hot-rolled steel components.
We look forward to continuing to support Mansell as they open up new Metframe opportunities from their impressive new premises.”
Paul Mountford, Northern Sales Manager for the Metframe division of Metsec, a part of the voestalpine Group
Looking Ahead
With the frame completed, we’re looking forward to delivering the finishes before the end of the summer. With a completion date set for autumn 2025, the Downley Drive development will be a fantastic new addition to the Ancoats community, combining affordability, functionality, and contemporary design for the people of Manchester to enjoy.
