THE BRIEF

After a competitive tender process, H.H. Smith were awarded the contract for the façade replacement project at the Moho Apartment Building in the Castlefield area of Manchester. The Moho (short for
modular housing) apartments on Ellesmere Street is an Urban Splash development completed in 2006, designed by the Liverpool architectural practice of Shedkm, and it is managed by Mainstay. The 7 storey building is composed of prefabricated “living pods” built by the off-site construction specialists Yorkton. Each pod is designed around a central bathroom and kitchen area, with the living space and bedrooms either side. A large timber decked balcony allows for private outdoor space in addition to the resident’s communal garden. Moho also features a convenience store, two bar/restaurants and offices on the ground floor and two floors of underground car parking.

Due to recent developments in Building Regulations, the original external wall build-up would now be considered unsafe and required alterations. The client asked Shedkm to revisit the façade design and re-envisage it in a fresh and safe way.

A decision was made to ‘re-brand’ the scheme with a strong use of colour, stepping away from the connotations of a timber façade and moving
towards a contemporary and sleek finish. Moho retains the sharp aesthetic of a modern building, whilst providing a strong and iconic new image as the centrepiece of the area.

KEY POINTS

This project was delivered as part of a government-funded fire safety remediation programme, addressing the removal of combustible materials and ensuring full compliance with the latest building safety regulations. The primary objective was to enhance life safety standards by remediating the external wall systems and associated elements across
a residential development, while ensuring quality and minimising disruption to residents. A critical element of the works involved the complete removal and replacement of the existing insulated render
system across all building façades.

A new non-combustible external wall system was installed, significantly improving both fire resistance and thermal efficiency. At roof level, new aluminium coping was introduced at parapet wall heads, providing enhanced water management and robust detailing in line with compliance requirements. Combustible materials throughout the external envelope were systematically removed. All balcony and internal walkway timber decking was replaced with A1-rated aluminium decking, eliminating fire load risk while delivering a durable, low-maintenance solution.

All timber cladding to the dining pods, balcony louvres, and internal walkway ceilings was removed and replaced with bespoke, non-combustible aluminium cladding panels, balcony louvre blades, and walkway soffit panels. These highperformance systems were carefully detailed and fabricated to reflect the original architectural intent while meeting stringent fire performance criteria. Further works included the replacement of roof coverings to the dining pods with fire-rated materials, as well as full external redecorations to reinstate a cohesive and refreshed appearance across the development. All balcony doors and frames were replaced with new, fire-rated and thermally efficient units to enhance both safety and user comfort.