[1] The building was designed by Jestico + Whiles in close collaboration with a team of academics led by Prof Sir Konstantin Novoselov.

[7][8] The club was established for the middle class German community that were involved in Manchester's cotton trade, and Friedrich Engels frequented it during his time in the city, becoming a member in 1842.

In 1859 it was rebuilt by William Potter as one of England's first Victorian Turkish baths,[10] remaining open until 1868 when it was used as an extension to the Manchester Southern Hospital for Women and Children.

[11] The excavations that took place in February 2013 by Oxford Archaeology North, prior to the construction of the institute, uncovered the remnants of the club building along with a row of five cellars belonging to 1830s terraced housing.

A sink removed from the site has been incorporated into the institute's new building.The stone sink was plumbed in with both cold feed supply and waste pipework by A .Armstrong of Balfour Beatty who completed both the mechanical and Electrical installations throughout the new build of NGI[7] As the main clean room of the new building is now located 3 m (9.8 ft) below ground level,[11] the remains of the Albert Club were not conserved.