OBI Property completes major refurbishment project on Quay Street

OBI Property has announced the completion of a much-anticipated 64,340 sq ft, £9m project for Urbana Partners.

Situated at the entrance to Spinningfields, Enterprise City, and St Johns, the property at 17 Quay Street has been rebranded as Quoin. The building offers prime grade A office space, along with over 7,000 sq ft of new retail and leisure areas, representing a 15% increase from the initial plans.

Key elements of the transformation, first revealed in 2022, include a full façade renovation featuring larger windows and a new brick colour treatment, a spacious rooftop terrace, a redesigned ground floor reception with a business lounge and meeting rooms, premium end-of-trip facilities complementing the cycle hub, secure electric vehicle parking, and high-speed fibre connectivity.

The Quoin project was a collaborative effort led by OBI, who oversaw design, investment, project management, and leasing.

OBI has already secured pre-lettings for the ground-floor retail and leisure space to a high-end restaurant and bar, as well as office space on the 5th floor.

On the completed project, Joe Weilding from OBI’s Building Consultancy team, said: “Quoin has been a real labour of love for the OBI team and to see the vision come to life is extremely rewarding. The entire team has worked hard to ensure that the building achieved all that it was set out to do. It is a repositioning project that completely elevates this prime Manchester business district and we’re looking forward to seeing it become a sought-after office and leisure destination.”

Nick Lloyd of Urbana Partners said: “This has been our first repositioning project in Manchester and we are delighted with how our vision for the fabric of building and the internal spaces have now come to life. The combination of location, prominence and amenity have already translated into strong demand and we look forward to announcing the completion of a number of leasing deals shortly.”

Nab Speakes, Managing Director at 3D Reid, said: “17 Quay Street was a fascinating project to be involved with, as it gave us an opportunity to recreate the identity and positioning of an underutilised building within the heart of the City.”

The team has also achieved certifications such as BREEAM Excellent, EPC A, and Wiredscore Platinum. Reflecting its strong sustainability focus, the building incorporates biophilic design throughout and offers electric vehicle charging stations.

Since its completion, the development has received positive feedback from Manchester City Council, which granted the planning permission for the project.

Quoin features 54,000 sq ft of office space spread across five floors, along with an additional 7,000 sq ft of retail and leisure units fronting Quay Street and Byrom Street.

OBI is a Manchester-based multi-disciplinary firm with expertise in transactions, building consultancy, design, and workplace consultancy.