March 11 2005

Manchester architect Arca has submitted plans to Salford City Council for a 62-storey high mixed-use tower that, if it gets the go-ahead, will be the tallest building in Manchester, and the tallest residential building in Europe. The £120million project for developers BSC Group would contain 801 new homes, a four-star hotel, retail units, and underground car parking.

The 175m building will form part of Salford’s ‘Exchange’ masterplan for the area adjacent to Manchester’s Cathedral quarter on the River Irwell. It will form part of the ‘Three Sentinels’ concept for the city centre, along with Ian Simpson Architects’ Beetham Tower, which is currently under construction, and the high-rise proposals at Piccadilly Station.

The project continues Arca’s interest in organic architectural forms. Director John Lee said: “The cladding system is inspired by the properties of fabric, stretched over the building’s undulating form, and with grids varying to create a shimmering appearance from below.” Large-scale façade pattern is created by mixing solid and void, with the ‘threads’ of the fabric visible on closer approach in the fine detail of the bronzed panels, glazing and screens of the cladding system.

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