Tender out for £7m Manchester Cathedral extension

On behalf of Manchester Cathedral, Dooley Associates has launched the search for an architect to deliver a £7m extension to the west end of the building, as part of £15m of refurbishments.

The appointment of an architecture practice will form part of Manchester Cathedral’s stage one Heritage Lottery Fund bid to support the project.

According to Dooley, as part of the tender, practices will be asked to produce a design that is “aspirational and symbolic and that will both preserve and enhance the heritage and character of the Cathedral’s existing west façade, and help the Cathedral to become a more recognisable symbol within the aspiration of creating a medieval tourist and cultural quarter for the city”.

Dooley Associates is working with Manchester Cathedral as project manager and quantity surveyor to co-ordinate and control 17 projects of work, involving cost planning, procurement and delivery of projects ranging in value up to £7m. Work includes the installation of the 14-tonne organ on the medieval screen and a new lighting and sound installation being developed with BDP.

Aspects of the west end designs should include:

• Provision for public access to the top of the tower, including viewing arrangements and possible exhibition space at the base
• High-quality retail with flexibility of layout, to be combined with provision for storage of stock and office space
• Multi-purpose learning and meeting spaces, offering a range of attendance numbers between six and 35, in at least two venues

The deadline for design proposals is October 2015, with the appointment of the chosen consultant expected in November 2015.

Brendan Dooley, managing director of Dooley Associates, said: “Our work with the Cathedral has been fantastic and kept our heritage and conservation division busy since 2013. The OJEU notice for lead architect is just one, although very important, element of the overall project and we’re hoping to get some really inspiring submissions.”