Urban Regeneration: Sprinningfields in Manchester - Essay Example

?Urban Regeneration: Spinningfields in Manchester The Spinningfields is considered to be one of the major transformations in the wider Manchester area. The project is a dynamic business center that was designed by the world class architects, Foster and Partners. It was a joint venture between the City Council of Manchester and a private developer, Allied London. Spinningfields has residential, commercial, retail, civic and leisure uses under its quarters. It was estimated at the time of its development that it would have an end value of more than ?1.5 billion and would also create over 30,000 jobs. Another key aim of the Spinningfield project was to achieve the highest sustainable urban regeneration standards so as to be used as an example in other parts of the country. Superior Design: The design of buildings and spaces determines the kind of social, economic and environmental impact they are likely to have. Any good design is determined by how spaces and buildings are used and their flexibility in terms of coping or dealing with future utilization. The Spinningfield’s design team includes some of the best architects and engineers. The inclusion of some of the best people in the industry was meant to ensure that the project achieved its objective of being an inspirational piece of architecture. Competitiveness and Clustering: the clustering of businesses and enhancing competitiveness in major cities has many socio-economic benefits. Spinningfields is located right at the center of Manchester and this ensures that it is proximally located for easy access by the local workforce and other businesses. The prime location of the business complex is in line with its ambition of being a world-class commercial location that attracts inward investment on the large scale. This is an effective way by which the project can help in the creation of a sustainable economic foundation. Buildings to be found in the complex include Halliwells LLP, the Royal Bank of Scotland and the magnificent Civil Justice Center. These are some of the buildings that are already paving the way to the achievement of Spinningfield’s ambition of being a world class regeneration project. The Civil Justice Center has already received a number of top architectural accolades; this shows that the project is on the right path. Environmental Sustainability: one of the most important aspects of urban regeneration is environmental sustainability. Buildings have an enormous impact on the environment. It is estimated that 30% of carbon dioxide emissions usually come from buildings. The design team of Spinningfields wanted their buildings to achieve excellent environmental sustainability ratings. They also hoped that the buildings would integrate inventive environmental solutions to help sustain a clean and pollution-free environment. The buildings that have already been completed within the complex have already met and even exceeded the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive requirements. For instance, the Civil Justice Centre has incorporated borehole cooling, environmental veil and natural ventilation. This has led to enhanced energy efficiency and a minimization of costs and fuel bills. Transport and Connectivity: any sustainable community needs to have well connected transport links. Easy accessibility of Spinningfields is vital for environmental and social reasons. Since it is located at the center of the city, the complex is well linked to other areas. It serves as a convergence point for many transport options that its users can utilize. To minimize the need for travelling using private cars, Allied London co-introduced the Metroshuttle bus that provides easy and frequent connection to major transport points in the city. There is also a pedestrian bridge over River Orwell in Spinningfields that provides a major link between Salford and the city centre. Accessibility to buildings is further enhanced by the fulfillment of DDA requirements. Equity: any good construction project is supposed to be fair for everyone. The developers of Spinningfield had equity in mind when they were designing the complex. They intended to ensure that everyone who lived or used Spinningfield’s facilities for business or pleasure felt right at home. Allied London chose to use mixed-sue development so as to increase the vitality and practicability of Spinningfield. The developer’s aim was to create an excellently planned restaurant and shopping environment, public and business space. The completed phase of Spinningfield is aready a popular area with people from all walks of life; some who live there and others are leisure or business visitors. The community has a management regime that is focused on ensuring that the public environment is all inclusive. Governance: Urban regeneration projects are supposed to be well run with everyone participating in their management and decision making. How well a construction project progresses during and after construction all depends on the quality of management. Allied London set up the Spinningfields Management Company which is responsible for different estate management aspects. These include maintenance, cleaning, security, signage, events and lighting. The occupiers of Spinningfields also play a vital role in how the company is run. The involvement of residents in decision making will help sustain the estate management’s role. Services: one of the aims of Allied London was to create a community that well served in terms of healthcare, education and other social services. In Spinningfield, there are various world class healthcare facilities as well as learning institutions that cater to a wide range of clientele. Telecommunications is also enhanced through the installation of quality IT infrastructure that includes a 10-duct network. Tenants within the complex can enjoy flexibility of use since they are free to choose their preferred provider. The 10-duct network is especially convenient as it provides a sustainable telecommunications solution not only to current needs, but to future requirements. It minimizes connection time and rates thereby increasing capacity without the need fort additional infrastructure. Social Sustainability: the urban regeneration project that is Spinningfield has greatly improved the lives of many people. They have enjoyed a peaceful and clean environment without having to experience the negative effects of over-development and unsustainable trends that normally follow urban sprawl. The community has modern and user-friendly offices, homes and facilities. Its mixed-use environment makes it a favorite choice for inward investors. This in effect enables the city to develop efficiently by offering high quality employment opportunities to the local population. What was learnt, what worked and what did not work. The development of Spinningfields has taught the public and private sectors a lot of things. For instance, they have learnt about the critical success factors. The success of the project tells a lot about the importance of sustainable development in achieving sustainable businesses. Several things worked out well in the Spinningfields project. For example, the project shows a high degree of environmental sustainability and environmental solutions especially in terms of waste management and energy efficiency. The incorporation of natural ventilation and a borehole cooling are important in reducing the use of energy driven coolers like fans which contribute to carbondioxide emissions into the environment. All the buildings have excellent BREEAM ratings (spinningfields-manchester.com 2011). The project has improved the quality of life in the area without contributing to the unsustainable trends overcrowding/overpopulation in urban areas. This is evidenced by the spacious rooms built that discourage overcrowding of businesses, offices or families living in a region. The project therefore attained a high level of sustainability both for the present and future generations. Competitiveness of businesses is still possible due to its central location in the city. Widdowson (2009) states that a sustainable community is environmental friendly. The project has therefore enhanced the environment and made an effective use of natural resources. This means it qualifies to be a model of quality and sustainable environmental use. The project will strengthen the economic prosperity of the region because of the business stalls and its connection to Central Salford. The presence of businesses will complement with the presence of learning institutions to stimulate economic development. connection with Central Salford will encourage economic activities between the two cities. will also be important in achieving transfer or exchange of resources between the two places. The project also succeeded in achieving a high level of diversity and equality it aimed to. It has created an inclusive public environment by providing buildings and spaces for variety of uses. It also has a high level of connectivity and quality transport. The project has therefore promoted social inclusion and cohesion among the people of the area as well as social and economic cohesion between the people of Central Salford and Manchester. During the construction process, the company managed to maintain a high degree of safety and health both for the constructors and the public. However, the safety systems were also lacking to some level leading to the death of two site constructors (Griffins 2011). The type of evaluation tool that was used Evaluation tool used: Egan Wheel The evaluation tool that I have used to evaluate the : Spinningfields project is Egan Wheel. This type of evaluation model comprises of eight components that should be analyzed and considered in order to determine the sustainability of a given project. The eight components are housing and built environment, economy, equality, environment, services, transport and connectivity and governance and social-cultural aspects of a given project. References Griffins Chloe. (2011). Two major companies failed to protect a construction site worker who plunged to his death, court hears. Online: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2011/06/15/two-major-companies-failed-to-protect-a-construction-site-worker-who-plunged-to-his-death-court-hears-100252-28879430/. Accessed on 6th December, 2011. Spinningfields-manchester.com. (2011). Sustainability. Online: http://www.spinningfields-manchester.com/spinningfields2/sustainability. Accessed on 6th December, 2011. Widdowson John (2008). Is the future Sussed?: A study of sustainable urban living. Geographical Association. London. Read More