Bruntwood SciTech Completes £87m No.3 Circle Square, Marking New Era for Innovation-led Business in Manchester

Bruntwood SciTech – the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to the growth of the tech, innovation and science sectors – has completed No.3 Circle Square, a new £87 million, 267,000 sq ft state-of-the-art, sustainable workspace in the heart of Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor knowledge quarter.

The 15-storey building has been purposefully designed to meet the needs of high-growth tech, digital and innovation-led businesses, offering best-in-class workspace and a rich environment for collaboration. It forms part of Circle Square - a £750 million innovation neighbourhood and joint venture between Bruntwood and Vita Group. 

This latest addition from Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, has already attracted significant interest, with global sportswear brand PUMA, which is relocating its UK headquarters from London to Circle Square; Auto Trader, the UK’s largest digital automotive marketplace, Havas, one of the world’s largest communications groups, and the UK data regulator, the ICO, all moving to No.3 Circle Square, joining Bruntwood SciTech’s 400-strong Manchester innovation community. They join a thriving community of innovators and global brands already based at the neighbourhood, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Roku, Avalere Health and BlueSkeye AI, with No.1 and No.2 Circle Square already fully let, as well as a dynamic network of startups based within the Manchester Tech Incubator.

Located within one of the UK’s most vibrant tech clusters, No.3 Circle Square places businesses in close proximity to two world-class universities, with access to over 100,000 students and more than 16,000 STEM graduates every year. This strategic location, and Bruntwood SciTech’s partnerships with these universities and other alternative training providers in the city, connects businesses to an exceptional pipeline of highly-skilled talent, as well as academic, research, and clinical expertise from The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Businesses also gain direct access to Bruntwood SciTech’s growth support of funding and finance opportunities, collaborations, and new connections through their Manchester and nationwide partner network, as well as being able to connect with their 1,100-strong UK-wide customer community. 

John Marland, Chief Development Officer for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Completing No.3 Circle Square is a landmark moment – not just for Bruntwood SciTech and our delivery team, but for Manchester’s innovation economy. This building represents our ambition to create world-class infrastructure that accelerates the growth of the UK’s most exciting businesses and we’re looking forward to seeing the creativity and innovations that grow here in future.

“At Circle Square, we’ve created a vibrant ecosystem that brings together startups, global brands and scaleups in one connected, collaborative place and we’ve seen how beneficial co-location and access to talent and research can be for these businesses. No.3 Circle Square will give our customers a platform to grow, recruit, innovate – and ultimately, thrive.”

Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "Manchester is the fastest-growing city in the UK and has real momentum as a centre for jobs and investment in innovation. Circle Square is making a tangible contribution to this story, attracting prestigious occupiers who want to work in an environment which supports collaboration and new ideas."

Designed with wellbeing, community and sustainability in mind, the building includes a shared roof terrace with panoramic views across the city, luxury breakout lounges, a bespoke gym, secure cycle storage, premium changing facilities, and access to on-site meeting rooms and event space. It also opens onto Symphony Gardens, a newly landscaped 24,000 sq ft space designed to complement the neighbouring Symphony Park, promoting biodiversity and offering access to shared green space at Circle Square.

With over 70% of the gardens covered by planting and the remaining 30% comprising permeable pathways, Symphony Gardens has been carefully designed to maximise the amount of greenery in the space, with a total of 53 new trees being planted across the neighbourhood.

Sustainability is one of the core principles in the design of No.3 Circle Square as part of Bruntwood SciTech’s net zero carbon commitments. The building is net zero carbon in both its construction and operation of its communal spaces, is powered by 100% renewable energy, and is on target to achieve BREEAM Excellent status, as well as a NABERS 5-star rating and an EPC A rating. 

The Circle Square neighbourhood also offers more than 100,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, including Manchester-favourite Onda Pasta Bar, North Tap Room, Half Dozen Other and Federal Cafe Bar.

The completion of No.3 Circle Square forms part of Bruntwood SciTech’s ongoing £243 million investment across Manchester city centre, which also includes recently completed and upcoming developments such as Citylabs 4.0, Thread Works, King’s House, Pall Mall, and Greenheys at Manchester Science Park. Combined, these developments are bringing forward more than 727,000 sq ft of new, innovation-focused workspace across the city.

Bruntwood SciTech’s team for No.3 Circle Square includes Bridge Architects, Richard Boothroyd Associates, Curtins, CWC and Planit-IE.