Munshi + Partners has completed an apartment block in Bolton Town centre, which has a pair of faceted glass volumes concealed behind its austere grey brick facades. The use of brickwork was also a strongly expressed desire for the client, who firmly believed that the building should acknowledge the predominant materiality of the surrounding residential developments and to read clearly as a residential building. Rather than creating expansive shopfronts, the windows on the ground floor match the ones on the residential floors above. This more reserved appearance is better suited to the historical context. The project offered us the opportunity to explore how to insert an original but distinctly contemporary building into the historic streets. The design seeks to restore some key local features of typical Bradshaw terraces, such as an emphasis on verticality where strong horizon lines mark a tripartite division of plinth-body-roof. The brick masonry walls are self-supporting, and feature deep recesses around the windows.

2022