Bringing new typologies to Middlewood Locks
Client Scarborough Group International
Project Role Design
Scale 184 homes
Status Complete
Middlewood Locks sits at the meeting point of Salford and Manchester, a former industrial landscape now reshaped into a growing urban neighbourhood. Phase 3 focuses on Plot KLM, positioned alongside the canal and adjacent to the earlier completed phases.
The site occupies a prominent canal edge, framed by the railway embankment and neighbouring development. With Phases 1 and 2 already establishing a strong architectural language and waterside character the challenge was clear: complete this stretch of the masterplan in a way that felt coherent, distinctive and confidently urban.
Our brief was to deliver new homes and active ground floor uses that would reinforce the canal as a social spine, strengthen connections across the site, and add depth and character to the evolving skyline.
Playful variation in scale on the waters edge
Introducing front doors to the canalside
We arranged Blocks K, L and M to frame the canal and create a sequence of landscaped spaces, carefully balancing height, massing and orientation. Taller elements anchor key corners, while lower townhouse forms step down to the waterside, creating a more intimate human scale.
This phase has placed a strong emphasis on establishing a range of active ground floor uses to animate the canal edge. A concierge and commercial office space address the urban square whilst three storey residential townhouses nod to Salfords historic network of Victorian terraces.
Materially, we drew from Salford’s industrial heritage – layering red and grey brick tones, dark metal detailing and robust stone accents. Each element is given its own individual identity through contrasting base materials which create a series of layered forms. Each element unified by a common approach to detailing, rhythm and proportion to maintain cohesion across the phase.
Referencing Salfords historic terraced streets
Townhouse elevation development
Townhouse facade detailing
Townhouse section
Human scale and tactility animating the canal
Commercial office facade detailing
A nod to the sites industrial past
Apartment elevation development
Built form holding and containing space
Depth and texture within a restrained material palette
Bringing new life to the waters edge
Railings completes a critical canal frontage within Middlewood Locks, transforming a once underused edge into a lively and legible neighbourhood destination.
New homes overlook landscaped podium gardens and waterside walks. Commercial units bring everyday activity to the ground plane. Tree-lined routes, generous public realm and animated edges encourage people to pause, meet and move through the space.
By stitching architecture, landscape and the wider neighbourhood together, we have strengthened the identity of Middlewood Locks – progressively shaping a connected, human-centred place that grows confidently from its context.
