Square Gardens

This article is about the mixed use development in Manchester, England and is not to be confused with Madison Square Garden.

Square Gardens is a co-living development in Manchester, England. The first phase of the scheme, Acer Tower, comprises 1,187 beds across 716 units which opened in 2024.^[4] The Fernley, a 45-storey residential building with 525 units, is expected to open in Spring 2025. The development will also provide 17,000 sq ft (1,600 m²) of commercial, leisure and retail space.^[5] If fully constructed, the development will feature around 2,200 residential units in total across four buildings, which were designed by SimpsonHaugh.^[6]

Square Gardens
Square Gardens in Manchester, February 2025
Former names	Downing Living First Street Plot 11 First Street South
General information
Status	The Fernley: topped out
Type	Residential high-rise, commercial, leisure, retail
Location	Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates	53.47156°N 2.24464°W / 53.47156; -2.24464
Construction started	2022
Completed	Phase 1: August 2024 Phase 2: March 2025[1]
Cost	£400 million[1]
Owner	Downing
Height	The Fernley: 139 m (456 ft) Acer Tower: 82 m (269 ft) Building A: 71 m (233 ft) Building C: 52 m (172 ft)[2]
Technical details
Floor count	The Fernley: 45 Acer Tower: 25 Building A: 22 Building C: 17
Floor area	90,112 m2 (969,960 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	SimpsonHaugh[3]
Main contractor	Downing
Website
squaregardens.com

At 139 metres (456 ft) tall, The Fernley is the 10th-tallest building in Greater Manchester as of March 2025.

History

Planning

The planning application for four buildings of heights varying from 10 to 45 storeys was submitted to Manchester City Council in January 2020,^[7][8] with planning approval obtained in September 2020.^[6]

Construction

Enabling works on site started in January 2022, with construction commencing in March 2022.^[9] Installation of the buildings' façades started in May 2023.^[10] Completion of phase one is scheduled for August 2024, with phase two expected in March 2025.^[1]

Facilities

The development will include a 3,000 sq ft (280 m²) café and 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m²) gym located within an amenity building which will be open to the public. Its landscaping proposals include the planting of 140 trees.^[11]

See also

• List of tallest buildings in the United Kingdom
• List of tallest buildings and structures in Greater Manchester