From Shortlist to Spotlight The Renold Building's Regenerative Transformation

A quiet, informal collaboration space inside the Renold Building, redesigned for Bruntwood SciTech and The University of Manchester.

Shortlisted in the Mix Awards North 2025 and recently profiled by Design Insider, the Renold Building project is a leading example of how bold reuse can shape the future of workplace design.

Originally built in the 1960s and located on The University of Manchester campus, the 110,000 sq ft building has been reimagined as a dynamic innovation hub for engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs. But this isn’t a typical redesign, it’s a regenerative one.

Working in close collaboration with Bruntwood SciTech and The University of Manchester, SpaceInvader developed a low-impact, resource-conscious design strategy centred on reuse over replacement, and material stories over surface refreshes.

Key sustainable interventions included:

– 896 m² of original timber flooring retained and reimagined across multiple spaces

– Bespoke tables built from reclaimed library countertops and scaffold legs

– Lighting tubes made from cardboard, offering an 82% reduction in embodied carbon compared to aluminium alternatives

– CO₂ savings of 924 kg through repurposed furniture builds alone

These interventions weren’t just practical—they were symbolic. Each design decision reflects the building’s transition from legacy to future-use, celebrating its brutalist past while embedding a forward-thinking, low-carbon ethos.

Now a hub for innovation, the Renold Building’s interiors support collaboration, experimentation and knowledge-sharing. The design is open, robust and tactile, balancing flexibility with a strong sense of identity and place.

The project exemplifies how interior architecture can support circular economy principles without compromising on performance or personality.

Read Design Insider’s full feature here.

Or explore the Renold Building project here.