Located within a conservation area in Salford, Timekeepers Square is a development of 36 two, three and four bed townhouses adjacent to the Grade II* listed St Phillips church; and the Georgian square which it fronts.

The scheme forms part of the English Cities Fund’s Salford Central regeneration scheme which is regenerating more than 50 acres of Salford’s historic centre.

The project, which was part of the English Cities Fund’s Salford Central regeneration scheme to breathe new life into more than 50 acres of Salford’s historic centre, faced the difficult task of creating an aesthetic that worked in synergy with the area’s heritage as well as delivering a clear, contemporary identity.

The design of the houses takes precedent from the area’s Georgian terraces and reinterprets this in a contemporary manner.

The new townhouses respond to the Georgian terraces in height and have a strong vertical emphasis with repetitive and regular rhythm applied to the fenestration patterns. This is further emphasised by deep recesses to the windows and door sets which contrast and add detail to the flat façade treatments.

New terraces reinstate the area’s lost urban grain, strengthening the setting of the church as a focal point of the development and define a new pedestrian boulevard, St Phillip’s Walk, at the heart of the development.

The public realm has been enhanced with new outdoor spaces that vary from private ground floor green spaces and roof gardens to communal spaces and pedestrian, play friendly, high quality, home zone streets.

A key design objective was to create a scheme sensitive to the area’s heritage, yet with a clear, contemporary identity.

Forum Smoked Branco brick was selected for its ability to mediate between the red brick of the Georgian houses and the sandstone of St Philips church.

Grey in colour with a light texture, the brickwork contributes to the development’s limited material palette which together creates harmony and gives the scheme its unique sense of place. This is further reinforced by the choice of mortar, which is close in colour and tone to the bricks. The mortar joints have been subtly recessed by 3mm to underline the bricks’ tonal variation, and to provide visual interest.

The brick’s handmade quality also provides a warm domestic feel to the external envelope. This tactile quality contrasts with, and is highlighted by, the smooth engineered quality of the external aluminium window frames.