£90m Manchester zig-zag library approved

11/3/24

Manchester Metropolitan University has got the green light to build a landmark campus library in the heart of the city.

Architects Hawkins\Brown and Schmidt Hammer Lassen designed the futuristic-looking building that will replace the current library at All Saints on Oxford Road.

Demolition works are expected to begin on site in the Autumn of 2024. Construction is due to complete in spring 2028, with the library ready for the start of the 2028/29 Academic year.

The new 13-storey institution will also be the home for the University's Special Collection Museum and the Manchester Poetry Library – the North West's first public poetry library.

It will also house a gallery and events space that will be open to the public.

The project team included Turner & Townsend as project manager and cost consultant with Buro Happold providing M&E and structural engineering.

Andrew Fallon, director of estates and capital development at Manchester Metropolitan, said: "The new Library will be a striking addition to our estate and the Oxford Road skyline, serving as an iconic All Saints architectural gateway to our University.

"Once built, it will provide a vibrant learning, research, and collaboration hub, empowering our University community and fostering creativity and engagement for future generations."

Source; Construction Enquirer