The XYZ Building (formerly The Cotton Building) is a significant part of Manchester’s Spinningfields business district.
The £22 million redevelopment, designed by Cartwright Pickard and constructed by McLaren Group, will provide 160 000 sq ft of commercial space with a further 30 000 sq ft of public amenity space.
Topflight Precast provided the feature staircases for the 7 storey building, linking the levels with a mixture of flowing design and style.
Timber mould being stripped down to allow demoulding of precast stair unit
Trial assembly in the factory to ensure correct alignment of precast stairs.
Finished precast stair units being prepared for delivery to Manchester
“Topflight provided the precast winder stairs to the feature core at the XYZ Building . Topflight fully engaged with the team and helped at all stages to develop and achieve a challenging design solution which other suppliers were not able to do . The installation has been commented on by all for the quality of the finishes and unusual design , I would not hesitate to recommend them.“
The service provided by William and his team at Topflight Precast for our project was exceptional . The feature stair at XYZ in Manchester is a key element of the project which was fraught with many challenges and complexities . Topflight were collaborative and offered solutions to any difficulties encountered . Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the process was their ability to create small scale physical models of the flights which were such an invaluable design tool for the team , without which it would have been impossible to understand the curving profile of the landing soffits . The process from concept through to delivery was extremely professional and the craftsmanship involved in making the final flights was truly incredible
This client’s project enabled us to push the boundaries in mould design to see how far we could defy gravity in our casting method. The farthest we had stretched a curved mould prior to this was 110°. This stair was 190°. The twist in the mould was so severe that it was impractical to fix supports, a good solution was found to encase the mould in concrete supporting it all round.
Topflight supplied me with a fantastic spiral concrete staircase for my new self-build house. The communication and service from William has been the best we could have wished for. Very supportive throughout the design, production and delivery process and it also worked out to be cost effective
We were pleased to be involved with this client on this project. Szerelmey are renowned for their expertise in working with stone. Indeed they were responsible for carrying out the latest refurbishment of the stone façade that is The Houses of Parliament.
Prefabricated steelwork ready for insertion in arch mould
Arch and beam steel reinforcement cages
Precast arches and beams awaiting delivery
William, John, I want you to know that we are very pleased with the outstanding quality of service your company provides. We sincerely appreciate your responsiveness and the way you conduct business. We have recommended your company to others because of our satisfaction with your service. We look forward to doing business with you for years to come. Over the years I’ve worked with hundreds of contractors, suppliers and manufacturers and I’m glad to say you are in the top with the best of them. I could feel and see the passion in you for the work you do. John your barcodes on the units was a big hit with the client. Hopefully we can work together very soon on the next project.
This project was an enjoyable challenge. This was a 10 ton stair with an upstand to carry a curved glass balustrade (supplied and fitted by Fineline Balustrades). The remit included a shadow gap inside and outside of the upstand, running from the base of the stair up and around the matching balcony units, accuracy was key as any discrepancy would be obvious at each intersection.
Steelwork under way on large curved flight with integral upstand
Turning the curved flight on sandbags
Curved precast balcony units awaiting delivery to new build in Strathblane
You and your team done a great job with both the landings and the stair. You managed to keep us all right, and point us in the right direction, with the knowledge and experience you have in concrete work. The stair you produced is a work of art and to be perfectly honest with you, despite working in the building game for over 40 years, I would not know where to start.
It was a pleasure working with you on this challenge. The secret is simple “Pride In Your Work“ Which you have in bucket loads. Would be happy to recommend Topflight to anyone and would also strongly advise that clients speak to you before architects or engineers. Also architects and engineers speak to you, to what is buildable and save a lot of time and money.
