Unity Radio is proud to be part of a landmark project where authentic Hip Hop culture isn’t just referenced -it’s embedded into the very fabric of a global development.
The new Hampton by Hilton Manchester City Centre at 325 Deansgate – soon to be Europe’s largest, is set to become a living canvas celebrating Manchester’s creative soul through a pioneering collaboration with Unity Radio and the Greater Manchester Hip Hop Archive.
Manchester’s Mural Masters along with pioneers will create large-scale murals of the city’s music icons across 21 floors, honouring a shared cultural lineage with New York – two cities shaped by industrial strength, reinvention, and defiant music creativity.
What makes this especially meaningful is how this cultural statement finds its home in a building of profound industrial significance. Designed by SimpsonHaugh and built by Assured-CMS, the tower is literally cantilevered over the historic Castlefield viaduct, a structure that carried the Industrial Revolution, echoing New York’s East Side – the home of the practice, now carries the city’s trams. In its terracotta façade and hybrid engineering by Eckersley O’Callaghan, the building respectfully engages with Manchester’s past – while the street art inside will activate its present.
This collaboration, integrated into the interior vision by SpaceInvader, goes beyond aesthetics. It’s a deliberate step, championed by considerate builders, Assured-CMS, to build a tangible legacy. The program creates a professional pathway for young talent from Manchester’s Hip Hop Academy, validating street-born artistry on an international stage. Through graffiti pioneer mentors and a real industry training environmen, supported by virtual reality – it is designed to teach and transition young visual artists into sustainable interior design careers and employment pathways.
It’s inspiring to see a project that so thoughtfully connects engineering ambition with cultural identity, global hospitality standards with hyper-local narrative, and historic preservation with future-facing opportunity.
A privilege to work with considerate builders and the entire project team in delivering something truly rooted in Manchester’s spirit. Rip Manni
