Manchester flexible workspace provider Colony has revealed how it has transformed one of the city’s most historic commercial addresses into a modern workspace and creator destination as it continues its expansion across the city centre.
New before-and-after images show the scale of the transformation at Colony King Street, the company’s eighth Manchester location and its latest flagship venue.
Situated in the heart of Manchester’s central business district, the 44,000 sqft workspace combines coworking, private offices, meeting facilities and event space, while future plans include the launch of Colony Creator Studios, dedicated facilities for podcasting, photography, video production and live events.
The project represents a significant new chapter for both Colony and King Street itself, one of Manchester’s most recognisable business and retail destinations.
Historic images of the building reveal how the space has evolved over time, with Colony’s redevelopment bringing contemporary workspace design into a building deeply connected to the city’s commercial heritage.
The venue includes a large coworking floor offering day passes, floating desks and dedicated desks, alongside a social kitchen, breakout lounge and a series of newly opened meeting and conference rooms designed for businesses, freelancers and visiting teams.
The largest conference space can also be configured as an 80-person event venue complete with stage, providing a new city centre destination for talks, workshops and community events.
Across the upper floors, Colony has created private office space for teams ranging from four people to more than 100, alongside rooftop breakout areas overlooking King Street.
According to founder and director Aaron Ezair, the significance of the project extends beyond the creation of another flexible workspace.
“Opening on King Street has been a defining moment for COLONY. This street has long stood as one of Manchester’s most iconic destinations, a street woven into the city’s commercial history and identity. To bring COLONY into such a landmark setting is incredibly meaningful for us, because King Street represents both Manchester’s heritage and its future.
“Our mission has been to create environments where people can connect, collaborate and build ideas together. King Street allows us to take that vision one step further. The opening of this space marks the beginning of something bigger, with our events spaces and COLONY Creator Studios still to come, building a destination not just for work, but for creativity, production, conversation and community.”
One of the most distinctive elements of the project is the planned introduction of Colony Creator Studios on the lower ground floor, reflecting growing demand for content creation facilities alongside traditional office space.
“Alongside coworking memberships and private offices, COLONY Creator Studios will introduce dedicated facilities for podcasting, photography, video production and live events, giving members and the wider Manchester community access to the tools and spaces needed to turn ideas into real projects and businesses.
“By bringing together workspace, events and creator facilities under one roof, we’re building a platform for the next generation of thinkers, founders and creators to represent themselves, share their ideas and grow within the city.”
Founded in 2017 by Aaron Ezair and Alex Campbell, Colony now operates a network of workspaces across Manchester, including sites in Ancoats, New Islington, the Northern Quarter, Piccadilly and the Central Retail District.
