Commercial Projects
Carebuild
Since 1985 Michael Rayner Associates have been Architects for Carebuild, a development company which has specialised in providing high quality commercial developments in the Northwest. In the early years, we worked together mainly in the Care Sector and provided a service for the development of new Nursing and Residential Homes as well as work on existing Homes. Clients included well known national care companies as well as local home owners throughout the North West.
Although this work continues, since 1998, Carebuild has been more specifically geared to constructing new office developments. It purchased land and created a business park at Fulwood in Preston, which is now complete. Michael Rayner Associates were the Architects for the whole of the business park, called Fulwood Park and Midgery Court, where we constructed in total, over 162,250 square feet (15,000 square metres) of nett office area in 12 separate buildings, ranging from 8,200 square feet to 31,600 square feet. These are fully occupied by major companies and include:
- Xchanging (a sector of British Aerospace, 2 buildings)
- DVLA
- Farmers Guardian
- Homeserve (2 buildings)
- Lancashire Care NHS Trust
- EDS Electronic Data Systems (4 buildings)
- Independent Inspections
Michael Rayner Associates worked closely with all of these occupiers to tailor the developments to their requirements and with Homeserve, to design the buildings specifically to their brief.
Lancom
We are currently working with Lancom, another office development company, providing a range of smaller office units at Anchor Court at Junction 4 on the M65 near Blackburn, and have created some 12,500 square feet nett (1,150 square metres) of new office space in 7 units. All but one of these offices are now occupied in the first phase and work has been designed for the second phase for a further 24,500 square feet nett (2,275 square metres).
81 Fishergate, Preston
A three storey office building incorporating a shop unit to the ground floor, was built on a prominent town centre corner plot. The design of this building incorporates brick and stone detailing.
Garside Waddingham, Preston
A local firm of Estate Agents purchased a town centre plot within a Conservation Area, and we prepared designs for their three storey office building, which was built on a prominent town centre corner plot, which in its detailing, reflected the surrounding historic buildings.
Princess Court, Manchester
Conversion of a large Victorian cotton merchants offices into a 110 bedroom, 4 Star hotel. This is a Grade II Listed building and involved sensitive re-structuring of the interior and adding 2 storeys at roof level. The practice designed the hotel, obtained Planning Permission and acted as the Clients representative in Design and Build tenders.
