ISG has been awarded a £13 million contract by Queensbury Real Estate to convert Manchester’s historic Grade II listed Corn Exchange into a four-star hotel. The work will include the refurbishment of the building from levels two to five, creating a 114 bedroom ‘aparthotel’ for operator Roomzzz. This scheme is phase two of a wider £30 million investment in the development of the building as a leisure destination, after the first phase saw the ground and first floor levels converted into a restaurant and bar which will stay open during the second phase of the work above. ISG is set to start work around the middle of next month and will carry out remedial works to the roof structure, before installing a cantilevered scaffold system on the first floor. After this, ISG will make significant structural changes to the floor slabs of the building to introduce new service risers to accommodate the new electrical and mechanical infrastructure. The scheme will use the existing brick walls in conjunction with new partitioning to create four new types of room, from penthouses to apartments, which will include a guest suite in the turret of the building, accessible by a new spiral staircase. An historic feature will be created within the hotel through the restoration of three architecturally listed stair cores. Northern Managing Director at ISG, Andy McLinden, said that the Manchester’s Corn Exchange is a much loved and special structure and this latest evolution builds on the growing trend for hybrid guest accommodation in Manchester. McLinden added: “This is a high-profile showcase of our capabilities delivering luxury hotel accommodation in a logistically challenging and busy city centre location, with the added complexity of working in an architecturally protected building.” He also commented that it is a great challenge for the firm, but one that he believes ISG will thrive in.