The Edwardian Manchester
Location: Manchester
Designer: Edwardian Group (In house design team)
The lighting played an important role in conjunction with the fast-paced redesign to the interior of the transformed Free Trade Hall in Manchester.
A main challenge was the atrium entrance connecting the old building with the newer hotel block. Daylight flooded the atrium by day, whilst at night the vast glass area to the roof and walls created an unwelcoming inter-reflecting dark box. Passers-by would not notice this entrance from the main street.
A key element was the balance of decorative and architectural. Within the restaurant colonnade, low hanging pendants provide interest and focus whilst drawing attention from the street. Architectural lighting elements were carefully considered on the listed facade, uplighting the arches above and downlighting within existing slots. These details work within the ‘cozy’ restaurant interior, also seamlessly linking with the exterior colonnade to the main hotel entrance.
