Places · North West · Greater Manchester
Façade & building consultants in Salford.
From the docks of the Manchester Ship Canal to MediaCityUK and the towers rising along the Irwell, Salford has one of the largest concentrations of new tall residential buildings in the country. McKay Turner Consulting provides façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, external wall fire risk appraisals, design reviews and expert witness work across Salford.
SALFORD 53.48° N, 2.29° W
A short history
From docks to towers
Salford grew with the canals, mills and docks of the industrial revolution. When the docks closed, the Quays and MediaCityUK took their place, and towers now line the River Irwell.
- c. 1230
Borough charter
Salford is granted a charter, centuries before neighbouring Manchester.
- 1761
Bridgewater Canal
The canal from Worsley brings cheap coal and starts the canal age.
- 1894
Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal opens, with Salford Docks at its head.
- 1926
City status
Salford is granted city status.
- 1960s
Clearance
Terraced streets are cleared and replaced with high-rise and deck-access housing.
- 1982
Docks close
The docks close, and regeneration of Salford Quays begins.
- 2011
MediaCityUK
The BBC and ITV move in, and towers rise around the Quays.
- 2025
Salford Central
The 23-storey C2 tower tops out, the last of three waterfront towers.
Architecture
What makes Salford's buildings distinctive
Red brick and terracotta from the industrial city sit beside concrete post-war estates and a skyline of glass, metal and rainscreen towers.
Key styles
Industrial
Red-brick mills, warehouses and terraced streets.
Victorian civic
Terracotta and brick civic buildings such as the University's Peel Building.
Post-war
Concrete high-rise and deck-access estates.
Quays
Offices and homes around the old dock basins.
Landmark
The Lowry arts centre, clad in stainless steel and glass.
Towers
Residential and build-to-rent towers in glass, metal and rainscreen cladding.
Salford's material palette
Did you know?
The Ship Canal turned Salford and Manchester into a seaport, 36 miles from the sea.
Salford had its borough charter in about 1230, more than 600 years before Manchester became a borough.
Greengate, Chapel Street and the Quays now hold dozens of residential towers, with more planned.
Typical building types
What Salford is built of today
Salford has some of the newest building stock in the North West, alongside post-war estates and Victorian terraces.
Residential towers
High-rise apartments and build-to-rent towers.
Where: Greengate, Chapel Street, Salford Quays
Post-war housing
Council towers and slab blocks, many refurbished.
Where: Pendleton, Ordsall, Lower Kersal
Offices & media
Offices and studios around the Quays.
Where: MediaCityUK, Salford Quays
Student accommodation
Purpose-built blocks for the University of Salford.
Where: Crescent, Chapel Street
Mills & warehouses
Converted industrial buildings.
Where: Chapel Street, Islington Mill
Victorian terraces
Brick terraces and shops.
Where: Seedley, Weaste, Eccles
Healthcare & education
Hospital and university buildings.
Where: Salford Royal, Peel Park
Cultural
Arts and leisure buildings.
Where: The Lowry, MediaCityUK
Current construction trends
Where Salford is building now
Waterfront towers, the Crescent masterplan and a new university district are driving Salford's construction.
C2 tower, Salford Central
Morgan Sindall is completing a 196-home tower, the last of three on the Irwell for the English Cities Fund.
Crescent Innovation
Homes and 1.7m sq ft of research and commercial space in the £2.5bn, 252-acre Crescent masterplan.
Salford Business School
Morgan Sindall is preferred partner for a new business school, due to start in 2027 if approved.
Tall buildings
Greengate and Chapel Street continue to attract new residential towers, with taller schemes planned.
Higher-risk buildings
Residential buildings of 18m or seven storeys and above, with at least two homes, must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator and have a safety case that covers their external walls.
Cladding Safety Scheme
Government funding for unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 11m in England. Every application starts with a PAS 9980 fire risk appraisal of the external walls.
How we help in Salford
Every era of building has its own risks
We match our inspections and advice to the age and construction of your building.
Victorian and industrialto c.1914
Spalling brick and terracotta, failed pointing and leaking roofs.
Post-war towersc.1950–1980
Spalling concrete, failed panel joints and over-cladding from later refurbishments.
1980s–2000s Quays buildingsc.1985–2010
Failing curtain-wall seals, ageing cladding and leaking flat roofs.
Residential towersc.2005–today
Combustible cladding or insulation, missing cavity barriers and timber or composite balconies.
New buildtoday
Design and specification gaps, and workmanship on tall façades.
One Vesta Street, Manchester: a two-day intrusive survey and PAS 9980 fire risk appraisal of a 169-apartment higher-risk residential building: Low risk, no remediation.
Read the One Vesta Street case study →FAQs
Façade services in Salford
Do you work in Salford?
Yes. We work across the UK from our base in the North West, including in Salford. A Director-level consultant leads every instruction from the first conversation to the final report.
Can you assess the external walls of residential buildings in Salford?
Yes. Our intrusive investigations confirm how the cladding, insulation and cavity barriers are actually built. We then assess the fire risk using PAS 9980, which is also the starting point for Cladding Safety Scheme applications.
Is my building a higher-risk building?
If it is 18m or seven storeys or more and has at least two homes, it is likely to be. We can measure the building, confirm its status and help you understand the external walls for your safety case.
Which other services do you offer in Salford?
Façade condition surveys, defect and leak investigations, thermographic surveys, technical due diligence, façade design reviews and expert witness work in façade disputes.
Work with us
Own or manage a building in Salford?
We provide façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, external wall fire risk appraisals, design reviews and expert witness work in Salford and across Greater Manchester.
Photographs: Stuart Jenkins and Khaleelah Ajibola on Unsplash.