Completed in September 1996, Homes for Change in Manchester is often held up as a model of urban renaissance. The six-storey horseshoe-shape high-density development replaced part of the notorious 1960s system-built Hulme Estate. As well as 50 dwellings, the first phase contains 32 studios, a cafe, shop, small community theatre and communal garden.
A second phase is due for completion next month and the tenants' co-operative is negotiating to buy the entire scheme from the Guinness Trust.
The first phase was developed by the Guinness Trust on behalf of two tenants' co-operatives, Homes for Change and Work for Change. Mills Beaumont Leavey Channon was the architect, with Anthony Hunt Associates as structural engineer, Steven Hunt Associates as services engineer and Tweeds as quantity surveyor. Amey Hind was the contractor.
Fitness for purpose
Dream development with a sour aftertaste
"The turnover of residents has been staggeringly low," claims Charlie Baker, leading mover and shaker at Homes for Change. "Last year, only four or five tenants out of the 50 flats moved out." Although the development's open spaces, communal facilities and mutually supportive community spirit are attractive, they are offset by an unending saga of defects and remedial works in the four years since building completion. Bill Harrison, a non-resident who provides administrative support, claims: "Things go wrong, and every few weeks the builders come back. There's a lot of discontent. The dream has turned into disillusionment."
Community spirit
"People like living in a community, and that is the glue that has held things together," says Harrison, a sentiment echoed by many residents. This community spirit has been forged by a combination of architectural and management features.
The high-density courtyard development brings residents physically close together. This concentration is leavened by generous communal gardens at ground and roof levels, while wide access decks encourage residents to make use of their own external spaces and socialise without infringing on each other's privacy.
Ten different flat types cater for a mix of households, ranging from families with young children to couples and single people, young and old. There are even four flats earmarked for youngsters undergoing counselling, who, claims resident Luke Hayward, "have gained support and been stabilised in the community".
Baker says: "There are enough people here to form a community rather than a clique. There are at least six social orbits, such as mums, youngsters and gardeners, and together they create a healthy mix." The cafe, a small theatre space and, until it closed last year, the shop, all provide community facilities, and in Baker's estimation the 32 workspaces "provide a healthy contact with the outside world". Not least, the voluntary management co-operative means tenants take and share responsibility for their environment.
Gardens galore
Despite its density the scheme offers a remarkable amount and quality of open space to its residents. Everyone can use the large communal garden with play area in the central courtyard and the smaller roof gardens, while occupants have transformed their own facades and the window ledges on the wide access decks into luxuriant hanging gardens.
"It's great in summer, when people live out of doors," says resident Nickie Witham. "In the courtyard downstairs and up here on level two, people move their chairs outside and socialise with barbecues and bottles of wine." Combined with the high level of security, the garden and upper decks are ideal play areas for young children. "I have three kids, and they all play in complete safety in the courtyard," says Baker. "All the mothers keep an eye on the children through their windows. The only problem is catshit all over the place."
Security in courtyard
"The central courtyard is a safe haven for people and is secure from vandals," confirms Harrison. Despite its run-down inner-city location, no burglaries in the flats have been reported during four years' occupation. So well overlooked is the central courtyard that the gates are routinely left open during daylight hours.
But the workspaces are not overlooked and have suffered from three break-ins. The situation is not helped by a gloomy entrance lobby, which is overlooked by neither workshops nor dwellings.
Rich mix of uses
The single building provides accommodation for living, working and leisure. As well as 50 flats and 26 work units, it contains a cafe-restaurant, a shop and a small internal theatre space. This combination clearly thrills Baker, who enthuses: "It takes me 35 seconds to get to work." But Nick Dodd, who also lives and works in the building, comments: "You can feel trapped in the place." The cafe serves as a meeting place for people living and working in the building, but the shop closed down last year as a result of competition from a new Asda superstore nearby. The theatre space is unfurnished and is only occasionally rented out for community theatre rehearsals and local meetings.
"What's missing is a communal room, where people can drop in and chat," says Luke resident Hayward.
Work spaces underoccupied
The 32 workspaces and artists' studios are less popular than the flats. Several have become unoccupied, and the lower floors of artists' studios are now used only for storage. "Some tenants like the relaxed atmosphere," comments Sarah Baker, who manages the workspaces, "but others are put off by the scruffiness of the foyer."
Delight
Architectural flair undermined by scruffiness
Although it is enhanced in summer by the tenants' luxuriant displays of creepers and window boxes, Mills Beaumont Leavey Channon's stylish architectural design has been undermined by poor maintenance. From many viewpoints, the building looks scruffy and forlorn, with uneven weathering on the cedar board cladding, rubbish piled up in odd corners and prison-like storage cages filling the ground-floor studio spaces.
Airy flats, gloomy common spaces
Flats have attractive open-plan rooms, double-height spaces, large windows and double-aspect views that are appreciated by many tenants. In contrast, the cafe, theatre and entrance foyer are gloomy spaces with unadorned concrete walls and tiny windows.
Comfort
Cold flat syndrome
"Last winter, tenants in 13 flats complained of bitter cold," says Harrison. "They were suffering from cold flat syndrome, with undersized radiators, poor sealing in windows and external doors, and water ingress through ceilings."
Good sound insulation
One of the technical successes of the block is the high level of sound insulation between flats. A special design of party wall, comprising two precast concrete panels with a filling of insitu concrete, showed they could block out noises up to 72 dB. Unfortunately, the construction cost was too high for the design to be repeated in the second phase.
Poor safety
In 1998 an investigation commissioned by the Guinness Trust revealed safety hazards and led to the replacement of three spiral escape stairs from the upper levels. Paving slabs that have sunk unevenly into the polyurethane insulation substrates have become "appalling trip hazards", according to Harrison.
Maintainability
Remedial works continue
The building has been dogged by defects and remedial works since its completion in September 1996. Harrison relates a catalogue of leaking roofs, badly fitting timber windows, warped front doors, cedar board cladding that has curled away from its secret fixings and the sunken paving slabs cited above.
"The defects have been considerable," he says. "Three contracts have been let to remedy them. Two specialist consultants, JR Knowles and Byrom Clarke Roberts, were brought in and found hundreds of defects. A lot of these were design faults. Some are still not resolved, and there are now legal arguments. We also had a clerk of works overseeing the remedial works." Baker claims that the structural system was undersized, so the entire building had to be redesigned after the contract had been let. In addition, the original contractor, Hynd Construction, was bought out by Amey during the contract. "There was severe undermeasure of works, huge claims amounting to £2.7m and astoundingly low morale on site," Baker says.
The Guinness Trust refused to comment. Ian Beaumont, partner of Miles Beaumont Leavey Channon, says: "There have never been claims of negligence against the design consultants."
Underspecified lift
An internal-quality lift was installed even though it rises up through the open access decks of the upper levels. "Water was leaking into the lift shaft," says Harrison. "The lift was failing so often that we had to have a full-scale expert survey undertaken. They found 36 faults and said the lift was only fit for a nursing home. We now have a maintenance contract with a company that calls in every week."
Mice infestation
"One thing is absolutely infuriating, and that is the vermin infestation," says Baker. "Mice move freely between flats in the plywood wiring ducts, and the situation is not helped by rubbish left around and unoccupied flats."
Overall rating
Star rating (*****=perfect) Fitness for purpose ***Secure communal gardens at ground and upper levels and a strong community spirit, fostered by the rich mix of accommodation and the tenants’ co-operative, score well with residents. On the downside, the dwellings have suffered chronic defects, requiring continuing remedial work, and the workspaces are underoccupied. Comfort **
Several tenants have complained of cold flats, and safety installations have needed improvement, but sound insulation between dwellings has proved to be good. Delight ***
Tenants have taken delight in colonising the external spaces, although unresolved maintenance matters have given the development a scruffy appearance. Internally, the dwellings are more attractive than other parts of the building such as the cafe and foyer. Maintainability *
The development has suffered a catalogue of building defects: the access decks leak, timber window frames are draughty, the lift regularly breaks down and there has been a plague of mice. These problems have led to a sequence of investigations and remedial contracts but are still unresolved more than four years on.
