Castlefield of Green
- Manchester City Centre
- Environmental Improvement
- July 2022
From March to July 2022 Calco was delighted to be engaged in work to create a landmark environmental improvement in the heart of Manchester. Castlefield Viaduct was once used to bring goods via rail direct to the city centre and remains an integral part of Manchester’s industrial heritage. Over the years, the site had become neglected, leaving it overgrown and inaccessible.
The ambition behind the project was to restore the site as a pedestrian walkway and create new access to green space within the city centre. Reflecting these environmental principles, Calco carried out a range of sympathetic renovations to help bring the site back into use. These included careful selection of materials for footpaths to minimise load on the viaduct such as a geogrid retention system as a base for the resin to be laid on as a lightweight alternative to traditional tarmac; and use of a 100mm base of light pea gravel for all planters to reduce overall weight.
With sustainability at the heart of the project, recycling of old materials and use of sustainable materials were pivotal to its success. Calco’s use of peat free compost within the planters to promote water retention and reuse of old ballast either side of the new resin footpath have helped transform a formerly derelict site into a green oasis for all to enjoy consistent with the principles behind the scheme.
