BELFAST-based TODD Architects is to open a new a studio in Manchester in response to a growing workload in and around the north west of England.
The company currently employs 80 staff across offices in Belfast, Dublin and London.
Director of operations in Britain, Peter Minnis said the Manchester move was a direct response to the growing number of projects it has secured in the region.
The firm recently secured planning permission for the 132-bed Beechmere elderly care facility in Crewe.
TODD Architects’ other major schemes include Ballymore's residential and mixed-use development at Royal Wharf in East London and the Kings Hall Healthcare Campus in Belfast.
"Business expansion isn't going to be on the mind of many within the construction industry at present, but given our growing commission base in the north west and the opportunities that we feel still exist in the region, we felt that this was the right time to establish a presence in the city," said Mr Minnis.
"We can now uniquely offer architectural services right across Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland, providing expert local advice, underpinned by an appreciation of the particular regulatory differences that will emerge in each region post Brexit."
The new studio will be headed by Seamus Lennon, a former director of IBI Group's Manchester office, and will be based within 125 Deansgate in the city centre.
“TODD Architects is a practice that I have known and respected for some considerable time; their enviable track record in design and delivery coupled with my experience and knowledge of the North West make for a strong proposition,” said Mr Lennon.
“I look forward to building up a successful office and placing TODD Architects firmly on the map here in Manchester and the north west."
