The Affinity Living Circle Square will create 15-storey and 35-storey towers in central Manchester to provide 683 residential apartments for the private rented sector. The development is primarily residential units with amenity space, circulation areas, cycle storage (with ancillary accommodation). The scheme also includes associated landscaping, access and highways work.

The main challenge to this scheme has been site logistics. The site is primarily land-locked between two key service roads and it borders other development sites currently under construction by other contractors.  This is managed daily at site level and monthly at management level, ensuring key matters and actions are closely supervised and communicated to all levels, including the contractors working on the adjoining development sites

The overall development site requires eight tower cranes, several of which are close to a main railway line. Discussions were held early during the pre-contract phase to ensure that the requisite approvals were executed and in place with Network Rail

After a lengthy pre-contract stage, the client entered into contract with John Sisk & Son Holdings.  Numerous value engineering exercises were held with the contractor under the pre-contract services agreement. Ridge, as Project Manager, managed this process with the client, the quantity surveyor and the contractor.

Utilising the experiences from the first phase project, Ridge also compiled the schedule of derogations and comments from the contractor and the design team to an agreement.

As Employer’s Agent, Ridge works closely with the contractor and the client’s development management team, to maintain a good level of communications so that any risks can be collectively mitigated to the benefit of project progress.

As Principal Designer, Ridge continues to visit site to monitor on site welfare, health and safety and the contractor’s site management.