Bruntwood SciTech, the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to supporting the growth of the science, tech, and innovation sectors, has completed a £6 million transformation of the historic 117-119 Portland Street.
The newly reimagined space is the cornerstone of the new Thread Works cluster, a gateway development that connects the knowledge quarter with the city centre. Thread Works includes four neighbouring buildings: 113-115 and 127 Portland Street, 61 Oxford Street, and now 117-119 Portland Street. The name reflects both the area’s industrial heritage and its technological future, referencing the original 19th-century textile merchants Schill Seebohm & Co, as well as the computing concept of a thread as a sequence of instructions. Together, these influences represent the entrepreneurial spirit that binds the buildings and their new community of creative, tech, and innovation-led businesses.
Following its extensive refurbishment, 117 Portland Street now offers 35,000 square feet of modern workspace across six floors. The building features nine flexible office suites ranging from 1,200 to 6,200 square feet, designed to support ambitious businesses as they scale.
Bruntwood SciTech, a partnership between Bruntwood, Legal & General, and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, has delivered a future-ready and sustainable workspace that preserves the building’s original character. The site is now fully electric, operationally net zero carbon in its shared spaces, powered entirely by renewable energy, and has achieved an EPC ‘A’ rating. This marks a significant achievement for a listed building of its age.
As the heart of the Thread Works cluster, the building serves as the main hub for events and social activity. Amenities include a 40-seat auditorium, communal lounges on the ground and lower ground floors, an onsite gym, and boutique-quality showers and changing facilities. These features are designed to foster collaboration, support well-being, and encourage active travel among tenants.
Interest in the building has been strong. The entire ground floor has already been pre-let to WW+P Architects and Egis UK. Property Hub, a property investment education and media company, is also set to join the community at 117-119 Portland Street.
Businesses based at Thread Works become part of Bruntwood SciTech’s wider Manchester network, which includes more than 400 companies across 21 innovation hubs and four campuses. They also join a national network of over 1,100 science, tech, and innovation companies. Tenants benefit from Bruntwood SciTech’s innovation services, which provide access to talent, funding, and partnerships with universities, hospital trusts, and public and private sector organisations. Located within the Oxford Road Corridor, the cluster is ideally placed to connect businesses with talent from the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, and other local education providers.
Jack Harrison, Commercial Manager at Bruntwood SciTech, said:
“The transformation of 117–119 Portland Street marks a key milestone in our mission to support businesses looking to access Manchester’s growing innovation ecosystem. As the anchor of our new Thread Works cluster, it will provide a home for small to mid-sized fast growing businesses to connect, collaborate and scale both within the immediate neighbourhood, and across Bruntwood SciTech’s city-wide ecosystem.”
Adam Brown, Associate and Manchester Studio Lead at WW+P Architects, said:
“Joining the Thread Works cluster marks an exciting moment in our strategic growth as we expand our presence in the North. Five years after we started working here, moving into our first permanent residence offers us the opportunity to deepen our connections with the city and focus on our ongoing commitment to championing design quality and technical excellence across the region.
“We look forward to continuing to contribute to Manchester’s legacy of great architecture and creative collaboration from our new home.”
The completion of 117 Portland Street is part of Bruntwood SciTech’s £243 million development programme in Manchester city centre. The wider initiative will deliver 727,000 square feet of new specialist office and lab space, with key projects including Pall Mall, King’s House, and No.3 Circle Square. Thread Works represents the latest step in meeting growing demand for high-quality, innovation-focused workspaces in the city.
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