Level of Award:
AwardRegion:
North WestLocal Authority Area:
ManchesterEntrant:
Ian Simpson ArchitectsArchitect:
Ian Simpson ArchitectsDeveloper:
The Beetham OrganizationServices Engineer:
WSPContractor:
CarillionPrimary Use Class:
C1 Hotels & HostelsThe Hilton Tower is one of the tallest hotel/residential buildings in Europe and is an emblem of the structural changes taking place in Manchester. Tall buildings are always controversial since their self proclaimed importance is rarely matched by excellence in design and relevance to their town and cityscapes which they dominate for decades. The Hilton Tower waymarks this regenerating district of Manchester and climbs dramatically out of its redbrick Victorian industrial setting. The hotel and residential components of the tower achieve elegant height to width proportions, whereas office uses which demand bigger floor plates rarely do. The tower also responds to current planning policy and has good public transport links, so it is successful in a number of respects. To preserve that, however, it should ideally remain a singular sentinel and not form part of a cluster of tall buildings which are unlikely to match its quality and could detract from its silhouette.
