| Architect |
G. S. Hay of
the CWS, Gordon Tait of Sir John Burnet,
Tait & Partners |
| Date
Built |
1962 |
| Location |
Danzic Street
& Miller Street |
| Description |
|
|
When it was completed in 1962 it was the
first building in Manchester taller than the
Town Hall Tower and the third highest
building in Europe.
Today it has relinquished the title
of the tallest building to the recently
completed Beetham Hilton Tower, but time
hasn't stood still for this 40 year old
building because it is now home to the
largest commercial solar facade in Europe
and the largest solar power system in the
UK. This project was an environmentally responsible solution to a health and safety problem. The service core of the building, that I had watch grow in the 60s, was originally covered in 14 million one centimetre square, grey tesserae. This mosaic began to fail a mere six months after the building was completed. The falling tiles represented a hazard that had to be addressed. The Cooperative Bank, owners of the building, chose to replace the tiles with a weatherproof cladding solution using photovoltaics panels. In all 7,244 Sharp 80W modules were used to clad the whole service tower. This was supported by a £885,000 grant from the Northwest Regional Development Agency and a £175,000 grant from the Department of Trade & Industry. Among the most amusing estimates of its generating power is the fact that it generates enough electricity to make 6.8 million pieces of toast or 9.9 million cups of tea every year. Prime Minister Tony Blair switched on the Solar Tower project on November 3rd, 2005. Mr. Blair stressed how important similar urban projects will be in the coming years in the fight against global warming. |
|
