Alsop's Adelphi Street Salford (Manchester)

[yyzer]

Here's the latest Will Alsop project in Manchester (Salford)....

Adelphi Street Salford: PR 11 Jun 2007
SMC ALSOP UNVEILS “URBAN SIGN POST†FOR MANCHESTER

SMC Alsop this week unveils the design for a 27-storey mixed-use tower on a key site at Adelphi street, in Salford, Greater Manchester. Designed in collaboration with local practice SMC DTR:UK for Vermont Developments, the tower which recently was granted planning permission by Salford City Council, will provide 22 floors of residential accommodation above four floors of retail /office space.

Located at the ‘gateway’ to the New Chapel Street regeneration area, next to the River Irwell and the University of Salford campus, the tower will act as an urban signpost bringing a distinctive new architecture to the area and making a significant contribution to the surrounding streetscape.

Speaking of the project Will Alsop said “ Our objective is to deliver a unique and individual building that will act as a local landmark while transforming and enriching the streetscape for the benefit of local residents, the community and passers by.â€

The base of the building will enjoy a flared, faceted and folded façade, enriched by colour and pattern. Above, the tower takes the form of a simple rectilinear column featuring brilles soleil at each level. A curtain walling system incorporating a variety of materials, colours and designs will clad the tower to achieve a striking pixellated effect and to reflect in a sensitive way the natural context, weather and light conditions.

Architects: SMC Alsop/ SMC DTR:UK
Client: Vermont Developments

 

[Zephyr]

He could have made two great buildings out of this concoction, but now it's a little too schizoid for my tastes.

 

[Urban Shocker]

I noticed OCAD on the cover of another new book when I was in Ballenford on Saturday. It has rapidly become the one building that represents us most readily, internationally.

 

[JasonParis]

As long as he doesn't put the Lads Club up on stilts I'll be happy.

 

[Bogtrotter]

Nasty- the 'pudlians can have this one.

 

[TKTKTK]

I love the tower, but I don't really like the flare of the base.

 

[rdaner]

"As long as he doesn't put the Lads Club up on stilts I'll be happy."


I've had them on a pedestal for 20 years.

 

[gibsonm]

Cities Alive in the UK

I just returned from vacation with my family in the UK where I saw the tremendous amount of urban regeneration underway. It really puts Canada to shame. Manchester is at the latter stages of a major cycle of sandblasting and new construction. The old red brick cotton and textile warehouses lining the streets have been fabulously restored, complemented by thoughtful modern projects such as the 'lego-like' Hilton tower or the 'open chest of drawers' Civil Justice Building. The city is supremely walkable and buzzing, even in former industrial areas like Castlefield. It's obvious that planners kept the big picture in mind by improving the transitions and filling the gaps in streetscapes, and not with any old low-budget slabs stoking the profits of developers at the expense of everyone else. The quality design will provide a lasting legacy for Mancunians. Why don't we have the same foresight and controls in Toronto? We're still building the kind of interminable car-friendly strip mall development that will soon need to be seriously remediated, if not altogether dismantled.

We also saw Liverpool, in the midst of revitalization as it prepares to don the mantle 'European City of Culture' in 2008. Cranes hover by the dozen around the Albert Docks and throughout the city centre. As in Boston and many other U.S. cities, UK governments have chosen grand gestures over mediocrity. The payoff is on glittering display in cities like Cardiff, where the inner harbour has been resurrected through the addition of modern buildings and the right mix of venues, mainly cultural and entertainment. The harbour is alive with people of all ages lazing on bistro patios or strolling, taking in the ambiance. The new destinations draw tourists and locals alike. Business activity flourishes, generating tax revenue for transit and further city-building projects.

I hope that as Toronto's waterfront development unfolds at glacial pace, we don't end up with more cheap, empty strips of turf such as the ones that dot Harbourfront currently. The goal should be energy and variety -- actual use by people. Cardiff and Manchester work because they are attractive and exciting places for people.

In the end, you have to build it, whatever the source of funding: government, private sector, philanthropist. To illustrate a point, one of the stops we made as we visited relatives around the UK was in Bradford, my father's birthplace, and like Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, the backbone of the textile industry that funded the expansion of the British Empire during the Industrial Revolution.

Bradford was a city in decline in the second half of the 20th century, as overseas competition and new manufacturing techniqes led to the demise of the large scale, coal-fed textile mill. Industrial workhorses like Lister's and Salt's mills took on dinosaur status and closed down. But there was something magical in those smokestacks, dare I say idyllic. Titus Salt's mill (called Saltaire for its location on the Aire River) was a purpose built village. All of the homes, the park, train station, even the church were created by Salt's organization for the workers in his factory. An investor by the name of Jonathan Silver bought the derelict mill in the 80's with an eye to conversion long before 'live/work lofts' became common fare. In the initial stages he hooked up with famed Bradford artist David Hockney to create an art gallery in the former factory building. Silver sought Hockney's input throughout the conversion. He insisted Silver take time finding the right tenants for the sight, such as artists and innovative enterprises. Getting the right initial clientele would attract more like-minded tenants. One other criterion was 'No committees.' In other words, Silver established goals early on and got the job done without endless planning and discussion. Saltaire would grow into a thriving mixed-use community and tourist attraction. In 2001 it was designated a UNESCO world heritage site.

Toronto City Council has much to learn about the importance of setting high standards right away and getting the job done. We hear enough grandiose plans from Waterfront Toronto and the planners of 'Transit City.' Governments don't provide the initiative or financial backing to make it happen. Highly skilled, creative workers from around the world will take notice. Toronto featured in The Economist two weeks ago under the heading "Nice, But Broke." How could the federal government of a country with budget surpluses let its flagship city fall so far? Where other countries have seen massive investment in cities, Toronto dangles precariously on a shoestring. Even when the opportunity is there -- the World's Fair was ours for the taking -- our leaders don't make it happen.

We can't leave it all to the private sector. Yes, Toronto has gained a few stylish condos in the current real estate wave, but a city is more than a bedroom community. Adding some exhibits and flash to a handful of existing museums won't do it either. We need more cultural attractions. Consider Chicago with its multiple art galleries, aquarium, Millenium Park...

Too little transit and car friendly development makes us a car dependent society. Our lengthy commutes through ugly sprawl and the concomitant smog-filled air have affected our quality of life for too long. We need to wake our politicians up or elect new ones. The status quo is unacceptable.

One of the reasons UK cities have transformed into thriving modern cities is that governments are taking bold initiatives, such as London's congestion charge for driving downtown. If you want a great city, you have to pay for it. The Gardner Expressway will not be buried without a toll. So yes, the individual, not just business or government, has to pay the price as well. Isn't a better Toronto worth it?

 

[Pep'rJack]

^ Great post - welcome.

 

[Hydrogen]

Yes, great post. The problem is that the people who should be reading it - or seeing the sites that you saw - won't be doing so.

 

[urbandreamer]

When I decide to rezone my farmland for urban uses I think I shall hire Alsop as my official architect. Welcome to my town: it's colourful funky and twisted. Perfect for those that think like moi.

Re: your tour of England: Wasn't it Linda Evangelista that said Manchester reminded her of Toronto? (Not London.) From my personal (albeit brief) tour, I'd agree with that X hottie.

 

[JasonParis]

Great post! Welcome aboard.

U.K. cities aren't perfect by any means, but there's certainly a sense that they are mostly headed in the right direction.

How could the federal government of a country with budget surpluses let its flagship city fall so far?

Londoners say the exact same thing though!

 

[alklay]

gibsonm, welcome and great post.

Its unfortunate that we have a federal system where the city is starved. It is also unfortunate that we have a city which fails to protect what we do have and is too content with the status quo.