Manchester is in the midst of its biggest boom since the Victorian era with the city centre now home to well over 530,000 people. People are flocking to Manchester as it continuously evolves into a bigger and better city for architecture job opportunities and a booming social scene. The city was voted 43rdout 140 cities in the world in the 2016 Global Liveability Ranking Report produced by the Economist, ranking 10 places higher than London. This may surprise some people with the reputation that the capital holds but Manchester contains an array of attributes that make it an excellent place to live and many architects are migrating from the south to the north to experience these perks.
One of the most obvious reasons that people are migrating from London to Manchester is living costs. Although the capital comes with lots of opportunities and excitement it also comes with a big price tag. Living costs in London are notoriously high and now that Manchester can offer just as many opportunities and a thriving social scene, architects are starting to question why they should continue to pay these astronomical prices for renting and buying their own accommodation as well as studio spaces that they can work from. Manchester has become a property hotspot, allowing developers to expand their portfolios with exciting ventures and buyers the chance to get on the property ladder without having to raise an exorbitant deposit. You can get so much more for your money in Manchester compared to somewhere like London meaning it can fit all budgets and is extremely beneficial to those looking for more space such as families.
Manchester also has a thriving social scene including an array of world-class culinary enterprises as well as amazing nightlife. It is full of amazing restaurants and bars with endless cuisines and themes to choose from which has turned it into a social paradise. It is also a hub for culture and the arts with ventures such as HOME the £25 million arts centre as well as up and coming projects such as the £110 million arts space planned for the old Granada Studios site promising to be the ‘best arts venue in the world.” Manchester is packed full of galleries from The Whitworth to Manchester Art Gallery, Museum of Science and Industry and more making it an exciting and inspiring place for those working within creative industries and means that you will never be short of something to do in your downtime. And outside of the arts you have music, sports, theatre and so much more that the city has to offer.
Manchester is being designed by today’s architects to reflect the desire to work hard and enjoy the city with Ian Simpson, one of the UK’s most prominent architects and co-founder of SimpsonHaugh, stating that the buildings within Manchester city centre must “work 24/7”. Simpson highlights how Manchester now has a “much more white-collar workforce” than in its manufacturing past meaning that an array of exciting architectural projects are constantly coming to life. The architecture currently being realised in Manchester is producing a completely different area to its former self and it is still evolving. It has harnessed the energy that London possesses to become a place that people want to live, work and play in, with Ian Simpson describing it as ‘a mecca’ where people come to enjoy themselves as well as seek out career opportunities in architecture. The city has come a long way in the past 25 years and it really only promises to get better.
Living in a city is very important to a lot of people. It offers ‘amenity’ and ‘spontaneity’ with the ability to ‘walk to work, to walk to the train station’ and the chance to access the wider world beyond our small personal spaces and Manchester can certainly offer this. Manchester has all the excitement of a capital city but with affordability and therefore a better quality life. It is a hub of activity, it is an attractive place for investment and Manchester will continue to thrive and offer amazing opportunities for those working in architecture.
Written by Lisa Clifton– Director at Clifton Gray
Clifton Gray is a specialist property recruitment consultancy. We specialise in placing property professionals within architecture, residential property, and commercial property. We recruit from entry level through to senior appointments.
If you’re currently working within the property sector and you’d like to hear more about how Clifton Gray can guide you through your next career move, please get in touch.