Engineering Innovation at Fusion M1, Manchester

Creating a safer, faster, and more efficient build for one of Manchester’s boldest student accommodation schemes.

Project Background

Fusion M1 is a landmark student accommodation development located in the heart of Manchester city centre. Delivered on a constrained urban site, the project required a highly coordinated construction strategy to maintain programme certainty while meeting stringent safety and access requirements.

The brief called for a screen system capable of supporting three concurrent construction phases. This consisted of reinforced concrete frame construction, SFS installation, and full façade works, while eliminating the use of mast climbers. In a dense city-centre environment, this was a critical requirement, driven by safety, logistics, and spatial constraints.

Challenges

Fusion M1 presented a unique combination of technical and logistical challenges and the screen system needed to operate as a multi-functional, live working platform, supporting three critical work fronts simultaneously - each essential to maintaining programme momentum. Removing mast climbers from the construction strategy delivered clear safety benefits but introduced further complexity. Access, material handling, and sequencing all had to be re-engineered to function within a tightly constrained footprint, with minimal tolerance for disruption.

The project demanded precise coordination between trades, with just-in-time material delivery and installation essential to avoid congestion, maintain safe working areas, and protect progress across all elevations.

Solution

Through early engagement and detailed pre-construction workshops, Ischebeck collaborated closely with Domis and the wider project team to develop a bespoke five-level screen system tailored specifically to the demands of Fusion M1.

The solution was engineered to support concurrent structural, SFS, and façade operations while maintaining full perimeter protection. A key component of the system was an integrated loading bay, enabling the early load-in of critical materials including SFS components, curtain walling, and unitised glazing. This approach allowed materials to be positioned precisely, supporting just-in-time installation, reducing site congestion, and maintaining programme certainty.

The system also provided full façade protection, enabling the installation of the distinctive patina rust-effect steel panels in advance of the screen lifts, further de-risking the programme and removing a potential constraint from the critical path.

Throughout the project, the screen system delivered a safe, stable, and efficient working environment — safeguarding operatives while enabling complex construction activities to progress in parallel.

The result was a solution that enhanced safety, improved logistical efficiency, and kept a highly constrained city-centre project firmly on track.