Bruntwood and Trafford Council complete transformation of Altrincham workspace and leisure community, Foundation

Bruntwood and Trafford Council have announced the completion of Foundation, a 75,000 sq ft dynamic and collaborative workspace and leisure destination in the heart of Altrincham.
The first customers at the innovative new workspace have already started moving in, with all the workspace, communal areas and fitness studio now open. The reimagining of the former department store will create a future proofed and collaborative offering for local residents, businesses and visitors.

Foundation has been designed to create a thriving working and lifestyle culture for the town centre, where people can work, meet and socialise. The development’s leisure and hospitality offerings will provide an anchor for the Stamford Quarter as a whole, and will help establish the area as an all day and night destination in Altrincham town centre.

The completion follows the announcement of Foundation’s first workspace customer, leading global sports marketing agency, SPORTFIVE, and the first business to move into the new workspace. The business has agreed a lease for the entire second floor for 10 years, doubling its existing office space as the firm looks to expand due to increasing demand for its sport marketing services.

SPORTFIVE is also joined by Lane7 as the first leisure operator to be confirmed at Foundation. The boutique bowling brand with 11 sites across the UK, will be taking over the ground floor with an eight lane bowling destination. Complementing Foundation’s dynamic workspace and leisure hub are a mix of independent and national hospitality brands including recently announced retailer, Starbucks, with more traders to be announced soon. These retailers will spill out onto Stamford Square providing opportunities for alfresco dining to the immediate workspace customers but also to the wider town.

Foundation has been designed to offer flexible workspace options in varying sizes, appealing to both scale-ups and well-established businesses. Customers will also have the option to occupy spaces that have benefited from a high-quality fit out, reducing relocation costs and allowing for immediate occupation. Alongside its workspaces, Foundation will create a connected and varied community that will allow customers to network and learn from each other in a collaborative environment.

The blend of workspace, hospitality and leisure will further create a space that actively enhances work life balance and improves the wellbeing of its communities.
As part of this, Foundation includes a 375 sq m living biophilic wall on the building’s external façade, made up of 36,000 carefully selected plants grown by I Want Plants in South Manchester. The HYVERT green wall will reduce the building’s carbon emissions and create a habitat for over 125 invertebrate wildlife species.

Additional sustainability measures have also been taken, such as adding new thermal insulation, improving air tightness, removing gas fired heating and replacing with high efficiency heat pumps which reduce operational carbon - the amount of carbon needed to operate the building - and have resulted in the building achieving an EPC rating of A.
The project includes a complete transformation of the old department store, including the redevelopment of 50,000 sq ft of commercial workspace and 25,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space. This redesign of the ground floor offers a unique, welcoming arrival experience, and provides hospitality with a cafe, restaurant and bar offering, and retail. The development includes a flexible coworking space to provide an exciting workspace environment for freelancers and start-ups wishing to work in the town centre.

Foundation’s new two-storey extension also creates an indoor-outdoor work and lifestyle experience, incorporating new terraces on the ground and second floors which feature breakout areas. A fitness studio, as well as cycle storage and showers and vanity areas, have also been created to encourage a cycling commute and promote wellbeing among customers.

The demolition of Foundation’s large bridge structures have also helped to create a new and exciting gateway to Altrincham’s thriving town centre. The reimagined public realm will seamlessly connect the retail and leisure space to Altrincham Interchange, meaning the transformed space will be well-connected to excellent tram, train and bus links. Trafford Council is also improving town centre access through works to develop new roads and cycle lanes.

The development represents one half of Bruntwood’s Altrincham workspace cluster alongside neighbouring Station House, which complements the offering at Foundation with its serviced and range of leased suites.

Sharon Johnson, Head of Commercial Bruntwood, said: “The completion of Foundation represents a huge milestone in the transformation of Altrincham town centre. Working alongside Trafford Council to breathe life back into the Stamford Quarter has been a rewarding and unique experience and one we’re excited to share with local residents, business and visitors.

“Our vision has always been to create a destination where both businesses and communities can collaborate, socialise and add to Altrincham's existing vibrant culture. We’re excited to welcome more like minded, ambitious businesses and retailers to Foundation that will make it one of the most exciting places to work and socialise in Greater Manchester.”

Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, said: “Trafford Council is totally committed to improving and updating our town centres and this excellent work in Altrincham proves just that.

“Working alongside our partners Bruntwood, we have transformed the centre of Altrincham and the Stamford Quarter with the completion of Foundation. This will be a fantastic addition to Altrincham and the surrounding community.”

The new and improved public realm will be launched in Spring 2024 alongside a series of community events that will take place in Summer 2024.

More information on Foundation can be found here: https://www.stamfordquarter.com/foundation/