New look for Urban Splash’s Salford Quays scheme

Urban Splash has unveiled designs for the refurbishment of the Boat Shed, as it has rebranded the former Office Village at Exchange Quay in Salford Quays.

Splash bought the 46,000 sq ft waterfront office complex for more than the £4m asking price in August 2016 and instructed architect R2A to design an overhaul of the building.

The scheme as it stands, outlined in red

Four office suites of varying size have been refurbished, with the first 2,760 sq ft suite completed being taken by Environmental Services Design earlier this year.

Work to redesign the exterior has now started, alongside a project to refurbish communal and meeting spaces and a café inside.

Nathan Cornish, director at Urban Splash, said: “When we bought the Boat Shed many people seemed surprised as it didn’t look like a typical Urban Splash purchase.

“Once we started stripping out the space, we’ve found many features that we’ve now brought to life. Once the outside is done the space will be unrecognisable.”

James Dickinson, director at Canning O’Neill, which is joint agent on the scheme with WHR, said: “This is about turning a very institutional-looking building into something different for the Salford Quays market. There’s a lot of character in the Boat Shed and it is appealing to SMEs.”