Not sure if this has been asked before, apologies if so...

Is there any plans to do anything with the Arndale tower and sort out how it looks? Now that the surrounding areas all look so nice it is a shame that big ugly thing kinda ruins it.

No timo afraid not. Reclading the Arndale Tower has not been considered in Prudentials £150 million redevelopment of the Centre.

Much of the Arndale tower is housed by government departments. If Whitehall shifts hundreds of new jobs to Manchester as hoped then hopefully these lot will shift out to some bigger new premises and the Pru will be forced to reclad the tower in order to attract a new tennant.
Ever the optimist hey?

Untill the Arndales offices start losing business nowt will happen to it.

IMHO the Arndale Tower is quite a neat shape, and people say it's ugly because of the colour. What do you guys reckon?

Anybody remember when the insides of houses used to be various shades of brown? Now they're yellow and cream and eau de nile and other lively colours that are a delight to the eye. So I reckon the Arndale yellow is ahead of its time, and in a few years will be appreciated more. Especially if we get a few more colourful buildings on the skyline. Maybe something cream or honey or gold would set it off nicely. 3 Piccadilly Place is Tecu Brass, Beetham is blue, Albany is blue too, 1HS looks like it'll be green, and Eastgate is purple in some pictures.

Sure, Arndale Tower could do with a clean. But a reclad? Naw, I can't see anything to justify the huge expense of recovering or replacing all those huge concrete panels, and I don't think paint would stick reliably to the tiles. If say Keim paint would stick, somebody like Bruntwood would paint it the kind of dull grey brown colour that buildings "ought to be", then people will start wanting their yellow back.

Take off all the cladding then expand the tower outwards with a bolt on steel frame. Give the tower smooth round corners and clad the steel outer frame in smooth dark glass.

Then stick a funny sculpture on top a la Asahi Super Dry Hall by Phillipe Starck.

IMHO the Arndale Tower is quite a neat shape, and people say it's ugly because of the colour. What do you guys reckon?

Anybody remember when the insides of houses used to be various shades of brown? Now they're yellow and cream and eau de nile and other lively colours that are a delight to the eye. So I reckon the Arndale yellow is ahead of its time, and in a few years will be appreciated more. Especially if we get a few more colourful buildings on the skyline. Maybe something cream or honey or gold would set it off nicely. 3 Piccadilly Place is Tecu Brass, Beetham is blue, Albany is blue too, 1HS looks like it'll be green, and Eastgate is purple in some pictures.

Sure, Arndale Tower could do with a clean. But a reclad? Naw, I can't see anything to justify the huge expense of recovering or replacing all those huge concrete panels, and I don't think paint would stick reliably to the tiles. If say Keim paint would stick, somebody like Bruntwood would paint it the kind of dull grey brown colour that buildings "ought to be", then people will start wanting their yellow back.


Im with you on this, The Arndale Tower is beautiful the way it is, unique and interesting on the eye (better then most buildings in town). Why reclad it so it can look like everything else.

But They need to turn on that pink light that they used to have round the roof though, that brightened up the skyline at night.

It always gives me a thrill against a blue sky, TheGrand.

How about a gold and glass pyramid on top, guys? With a restaurant?

http://www.manchesterarndale.com/news_development_news-20.htm

I'm not with you on this one Farsight. It wasn't called the biggest lavatory wall in Britain for nothing.

Some of us suggested that it needed a paper bag over it, it was so brutalist! :lol:

BUT! Before you all scoff again, I managed to catch the building in a very positive light the other week of course - creating this dramatic backdrop to the big wheel in front of it. I like this picture a lot, if I may say so myself - mainly because even the Arndale Tower looks impressive here...! :)

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/Basher65/PB160193s.jpg

Well it's not a stunner but I have to say that I too think it is quite reasonable. The recessed windows provide a different look compared with most modern buildings and the tiles (away from the floor) look reasonable too.

I cant really explain it, but the tiles at ground level were trully awful, on the tower they're okay. Castigate me if you will!

Great Pic Martin G! I think the problem is, as you mentioned, its brutalist! The distinctive colour would only work if it was part of an eclectic mix of buildings,which unfortunatlely it's not, it's on a podium above the Arndale Center.

No, I agree, Christopher. It looks a lot less offensive on its own rather than as part of a huge beige lump as it was pre-1996. Martin's recent photos have certainly shown it in (literally) a better light too.

Also, perhaps it's no bad thing that there's some sort of reminder as to how the whole of the Arndale used to look.

Its probably the only YELLOW high rise in the uk.

Its probably the only YELLOW high rise in the uk.

Portland Tower?

There's a truly hideous yellow tower in Bracknell too. Well, I say tower; actually, it's wider than it is tall. Here it is...

http://www.funkypancake.com/blog/stuff2/DSC06528-thumb.jpg

Mmmmmm!

Yeah, that yellow western side face to the Portland Tower - why the hell is it still yellow? Even after the 2002 commonwealth games has been and gone (I really can't believe it's over THREE years already!) - surely that was the only reason why they painted it that horrible lurid shade in the first place? I think they should just return it back to its original colour. It's completely incongruous and as an exercise in trying to "jazz" up its facade, I think it doesn't work. They may as well paint the sides to the Sunley / City Tower a lurid shade of green to complement it! Besides, I think the Bruntwood Logo itself is pretty shite. Too close to that equally crappy Jarvis (y'know, those murderous rail contractors) one for comfort.

The Arndale tower ain't so bad. It's negative reputation is all in peoples minds. Because some pretentious Prince Charles-type 'critics' gave it the famous 'shit-house wall' label just after it was built, the collective local opinion was that it had to be true. Wrong. As a former sanitation engineer I can assure you that most public toilet walls were constructed of white glazed brick (and usually on the interior).
The buff/yellow glazed tiles on this building seemed to have weathered much better than other materials namely concrete, and I'm sure will be much easier to clean probably only requiring a damp cloth and a bit of household detergent and plenty of old-fashioned elbow-grease. Even a simple warm water hose and a squeegie would do the trick with a brisk buff using a lint-free soft dry rag afterwards 'till you can see your face in it.

The buff/yellow glazed tiles on this building seemed to have weathered much better than other materials namely concrete

That was, indeed, the entire reason behind cladding the whole thing in tiles.

The toilet wall thing probably wasn't meant in a literal sense, Sir Miles, as I'm sure you're well aware :) . However, the objections to the Arndale as a whole didn't just come from Prince Charles and suchlike. There was strong opposition from the public by the time the building started to take shape, well before it was completed (which, believe it or not, wasn't until 1980). In fact, the chairman of Manchester City Council publicly stated "it is hoped that something can be done to improve its appearance, even at this late stage" midway through construction. I remember as a wee nipper on my first trip into the centre of Manchester in around 1976, even I could tell it was a pug-ugly heap of shite.

Yeah, that yellow western side face to the Portland Tower - why the hell is it still yellow? Even after the 2002 commonwealth games has been and gone (I really can't believe it's over THREE years already!) - surely that was the only reason why they painted it that horrible lurid shade in the first place? I think they should just return it back to its original colour. It's completely incongruous and as an exercise in trying to "jazz" up its facade, I think it doesn't work. They may as well paint the sides to the Sunley / City Tower a lurid shade of green to complement it! Besides, I think the Bruntwood Logo itself is pretty shite. Too close to that equally crappy Jarvis (y'know, those murderous rail contractors) one for comfort.

The yellow side of Portland really seems to divide opinion. I like it myself. In fact the whole building looks rather dapper considering it used to be just another grimy concrete slab.

Green cheeks for Sunley might just work, you know...

Paint it black, bung a proper blood-red illumination on the roof and we're bob on. Big black towers say scary evil power to me. And I always felt Manc is evil. In a nice way though, almost fluffeh.

Sod it. Let's sellotape every first born male baby in the next 3 weeks to the walls. Proper cladding. Or turn Urbis into a type of slingshot device: place baby on the low-rise section of Urbis in the resting place, pull back on it to tighten up the 'laccy bands by pulling back the baby and let go. Whoever gets one through a window scores 100 points.

Turn the arndale tower into a large climbing frame for children.

Paint it black, bung a proper blood-red illumination on the roof and we're bob on. Big black towers say scary evil power to me. And I always felt Manc is evil. In a nice way though, almost fluffeh.

Sod it. Let's sellotape every first born male baby in the next 3 weeks to the walls. Proper cladding. Or turn Urbis into a type of slingshot device: place baby on the low-rise section of Urbis in the resting place, pull back on it to tighten up the 'laccy bands by pulling back the baby and let go. Whoever gets one through a window scores 100 points.
What the fuck are you on....
I think we should use piano-wire, put you on the sling-shot and twang you ....I think it's pointing somewhere towards Leeds anyway..... ;)

I'm making my own entertainment and I appear to be doing a damn fine job as I'm rather content this minute.

So yeah, painting the Arndale black with funky red lights.

no...... a large climbing frame for children.

Guys, what colour are the interior walls of the house or flat you live in?

Every wall in every room in my house is Barley White. That's a kind of pale yellow. There's pale Ash wood doors and stuff, things like curtains are turquoise and pink and blue et cetera, real colourful. The sofas in the living room are bright yellow, and the carpets and floor tiles are a sort of pale pale browny grey neutral colour. It's a delight to the eye, no kidding.

But I go into some houses and all the walls are pale brown, the sofa is brown, the carpet is brown, the curtains are brown. Brown brown brown. If you're lucky you get a bit of white and grey and black. It's as if people are colourblind, and want to banish colour.

I like colour, and I'd like more colour outdoors. On buildings. Big buildings. In cities. Somebody give me a skyscraper in pink!

can't believe some people like it, i don't think it should be made to look like everything else but something needs doing to it, its terrible

Is it the colour timo, or something else?

It's good to try and work out why you do or don't like some building.

the colour and the style

manchester has some amazing buildings and architecture but there are certain bits that i really feel bring the whole place down a notch

Martin, you should enter that photo into the UPC,

Guys, how about a little survey?

1) Do you like the colour of the Arndale Tower, Yes or No
2) Is the interior of your house or flat dominated by shades of brown, Yes or No.
3) What's the predominant colour that you are dressed in right now.

I'm wearing a kind of khaki coloured shirt. I class that as a shade of brown. I'm also wearing black trousers and brown shoes. My hair is brown. My skin is pinky brown. The desk in front of my face is light oak brown. I'm at work. Grey carpet. Pale grey ceiling tiles. Brown cupboards. Darker brown doors. Colourwise it's a total Dead Zone.

1). No (I think it would look great clad in steel or someother reflective metal though)
2). No, god know.
3). Red T-shirt emblazoned with Dragon insignia, stone wash jeans, Polish black shoes and black underwear.

Thanks Dan. Steel would be nice. What colour are your walls then?

Peach believe it or not. Not my choice I must add. Although my bathroom is yellow I must admit. Im moving in January though and my preference is deep reds or magnolia for the houses Im looking at.

Guys, what colour are the interior walls of the house or flat you live in?

Image of interior of the Chips building about to go up in New Islington (sorry about the quality of the image and that its not strickly to do with the Arndale)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/Traffordcraig/Chipsinterior.jpg

Irish Blood English Heart: Peach is good. Yellow is good. Red is good. Magnolia is an insipid washed-out pale pale brown, but nobody wants to live in a total rainbow so it's OK too. Like the pale tiles and carpets in my house I guess. So you pass the colourblind test.

Anybody else care to look at their walls et cetera and ask themselves if their lives are colourless?

Thanks for the Chips pics above Craig. Nice to see some colour. But ouch! Did I ever mention I'm not a fan of orange? Especially next to shocking pink. And that wallpaper and the spindly-legged furniture look like something out of Tomorrow's World circa 1962!

:)

It's back in, Mr Far Sight.

Though not one to stick to what's in, my front room's post-modern(contemporary). Full of retro but contemporary stuff. Dark floors, white rug and barcelona chairs and other similar pieces. Personally I love natural colours in homes. More relaxing. But Orange, Grey and white is a great combo. Kinda 60's. We're talking space age 60's shite, Farsight. But fuck me, do classic designer pieces cost a lot of money.

Back in, ManchesterISwonderful? It was never in in the first place!

Your front room sounds a bit wan. Hey, don't tell me, you're wearing... black?

I know what you mean about classic designer pieces. We got "bombo" stools but that's all because I won't pay the money to show off. There's people who do round where I live, and it's kind of tacky.

Jeez, I was watching Property Ladder last night. You know how at the end Sarah Beaney always shows you a room before the makeover, then the room after the makeover? Well take a look at Craig's bottom left picture, LOL!

It's not commercial. But it's well liked by some. And I don't mean clueless nobheads of the street.

Never buy designer stuff to show off. I've got some. But I'd much rather buy something that looks similar and is a lot cheaper. But there you go.

My front room is very peaceful. . . if you're pretenious you could say Zen, but I dunno. I'd say there's not much in it, fairly minimalist. I've got a lovely designer lamp as well. It looks lovely when lit up at night. It lights up in two places. I just like the light coming from the bottom. Strange thing is my back room's the opposite. More classical, parquet floors and all that. Morning room's the best. I order some sexy marble floor tiles from Italy. Thing is, either I'm a perfectionist and every detail has to be spot on or I don't give a damn. Even though I did graphic design at Uni, I love all aspects of art design. . . even poncy interior design, Farsight mate.

And no I'm not wearing black. I'm wearing blue. I've also got skater jeans on. Bet you didn't expect that, did you.

Laters mofo.

Image of interior of the Chips building about to go up in New Islington (sorry about the quality of the image and that its not strickly to do with the Arndale)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/Traffordcraig/Chipsinterior.jpg

c-hool!

John Simms filmed his 'back in time 70's Manchester cop show' in there.
Looks like a store in Afflecks.

70's cop show linkie just in case I wasn't sense making (http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/entertainment/filmandtv/tv/s/184/184561_john_simms_got_a_flair_for_the_70s.html)

. . . fairly minimalist ... parquet floors... marble floor tiles... interior design... I'm wearing blue. Sounds good. Aw, I was just guessing about the black because you didn't mention colour much.

Now where were we? Oh yeah. The Arndale and its colour. People were enthusing on Martin G's "sunset pictures" thread about how amber golden and gorgeous CIS looked. So what's the problem with the Arndale Tower?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=283023

That wallpaper's killing me.

What's the problem with the Arndale Tower.

- It's stubby looking.
- The colour is insipid.
- The windows are too small.
- It looks brutal.
- The Name - Arndale Tower.
- It's stuck on the top of a shopping centre like some kind of afterthought to make more money for the place.

Basically I just don't like office blocks on any kind of podium, they seem distant and cut off with no interaction with their immediate environment. It's like seeing something but not actually being able to get to it.

Legin: It didn't used to look stubby! (What with Beetham, I reckon CIS is lookin a bit stubby too these days). Insipid? Grey would be insipid, not yellow. Yep, them windows are small. Brutal? Hmmn. It isn't "brutalist" because that's a recognised architectural style involving big sticky out lumps of unadorned concrete. The name, that's nuthin. If you don't like blocks on podia, dislike the podia! But aw heck, what am I saying? I shouldn't be trying to sway your opinion. Hey, each to his own, and thanks for spelling out what it is you don't like.

Farsight, I agree,I don't think there is any middle ground on this one, you either like it or you don't. By the way, as you seem to show a particularly interest in colours, when I said "insiped" I actually mean't to say unpalatable. I actually like yellow as a colour.

Me too. A lot of people do. Only I even like it on a building!

Thought I would resurrect this topic because I went for a meeting in the tower today on the top floor.

The interior is brilliant, you would never guess that the outside was so grotty when you are in there and the views are outstanding!

On the subject of the Arndale, has anyone noticed how precarious the supports for the car park look along High St?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/caw123/P1030029copy.jpg

One wrong move with the JCB, or a bus veering off the road and CRASH.....BOOM.....CRUMBLE....NEE NAW NEE NAW etc

You should say something to the council about that Caw. A new shopping centre near me was closed just before Christmas, and is largely still closed because the car park is unsafe. Bit of a scandal.

http://www.usdaw.org.uk/healthandsafety/news/1133434562_12925.html

I think the interior of the new phases will be very good. and the cladding for high st will be good but not more. Looking forward to the new stuff opening

You should say something to the council about that Caw. A new shopping centre near me was closed just before Christmas, and is largely still closed because the car park is unsafe. Bit of a scandal.

http://www.usdaw.org.uk/healthandsafety/news/1133434562_12925.html

Nah let's just hope it collapses in the middle of the night (with no one in it of course)

Hello! Are there any plans to re-clad the Arndale Tower considering the recent 'tidying' of the Arndale Centre? It's still one of our tallest buildings and is very much a landmark; a re-clad would surely do wonders

No

I wouldn't want a recald. I love it.

Leave it - I used to hate it but its a Manchester icon now

leave it alone! i love the arndale tower its wiked, love the way it floats over the city with no real base to it as its jus plonked on top of the shoppin center.

im a big fan of the tiles, they dont work at close quarters as we have seen on market street but from a distance its wiked

love the colour of it, it aint jus a grey or glass box

It would cost a fortune and it looks fine. I hated the tiles on the Arndale Centre, but the tower always seemed fine. It's a piece of history anyway and it's important to keep a number of things whether old or modern. I mean, Manchester isn't Milton Keynes new town. I hate it when they change a great building into a rich persons trendy place instead of something which was beneficial to the everyday person and new start businesses like the corn exchange. The corn exchange just needed a make over and the government coffers that came our way from the Conservative government after the bomb would have done this. There's only Afflecks Palace now.

This has been discussed before here (skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=284524). But I didn't have my say then, so I'm glad it's come up again.



I think somebody mentioned it would be cheaper to demolish it. So, um, yeah, why not do that instead? I mean, I'm willing to disagree with everybody here in saying it looks like a heap of cack. Seriously, I can't find anything nice to say about it other than, 'I'm glad it's not visible from space'.

Emma.

It needs illuminating at the top once again, it looks like a true 3 dimensional office tower too! Great tower!

This tower always annoys me, why wasn't it included as part of the arndale re-development? This and the Ramada are worst towers in the city centre. The colour is horrible and the windows are more like holes. It ruins exchange square and completely jars with the area.
The negative impact buildings like this have on visitors to the city cannot be over emphasised. I think we get used to and accept them, seeing them every day.
However whenever I've had people visit mcr for the first time the arndale (and a couple of others) completely cancel all the amazing stuff that is in this city, Its an embarrassment and so awful words fail me.

I like it, you could drop an atom bomb on Manchester and that yellow fucker will still be there.

I think me and b4rndalemmy agreed some time ago that it would look a whole lot better if it was taller - so i came up with this!

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/garybaldy/arn.jpg

It needs a height increase and a reclad. Or atleast a wash.

I never realised the lighting/neon had gone. When did this happen-it used to look half decent once the sun had set.

Its only lost its 'centre' not the 'arndale'. They did it last year. Its not called the Arndale Centre anymore is it? Just The Arndale.

No, i think he meant the pink neon halo around the top, which looked fab!

In the MEN's publication about the 96 bomb there is a picture of a model of Manchester city centre that shows the Arndale tower clearly redesigned, including a new pyramid style top.

Personally, it'd be nice if it did get a spruce-up/reclad, but I guess the world won't end if it doesn't!

what happened to the pretty pink neon lights on the top!?

also the arndale centre finished? the side by market street around bhs is still all yellow brick. Could there still be more renovation to come? Inc. the tower.

It needs a height increase and a reclad. Or atleast a wash.

Yes, it looks neglected sometimes. Get a few thousand tins of vibrant gold paint over it.

I think the yellow was ahead of its time, and its time will come. I like colourful buildings, IMHO it makes them more 21st Century. I like white and black too, but I think grey and brown are kind of, sigh, I don't know, old and dull.

It may be one of the biggest for now, but I don't (prove me wrong, this is just based on my days to Manchester) think it has much presence on the skyline anyway, don't notice in that much unless you're in the arndale area.. If they re-clad it, the likelihood is it would be a curtain wall cladding job, (unless Bruntwood got their mits on it and just...painted it black, or green and white or something ghastly) and give us a 90m glass box, which would detract any ounce of character the tower originally had.

So in my opinion, if its occupied (or the majority is), and its not falling apart, then leave it. (thats just my thoughts on this, not all fugly towers)

I agree with ferge,it should be left as it is,all it needs is a good hosing down,I like the mustard colour,its a symbol of eighties Manchester to me (in a good way)although I hated the lowrise part of the Arndale,the tower always impressed me when I was a child,reminding me of a real skyscraper.In fact it does look much taller than its 90m height when coming into Manc via Prestwich (Bury road?).

I agree with ferge,it should be left as it is,all it needs is a good hosing down,I like the mustard colour,its a symbol of eighties Manchester to me (in a good way)although I hated the lowrise part of the Arndale,the tower always impressed me when I was a child,reminding me of a real skyscraper.In fact it does look much taller than its 90m height when coming into Manc via Prestwich (Bury road?).

Seventies.

Seventies.

Wasn't it finished in 1980? Hence the completed tower came to symbolise the eighties.

Anyhow, he said 'to me', so that lets him off the hook. Hell, Maximilien Robespierre might symbolise differential calculus to me. Sure, they would be some pretty strong drugs, but you know what I mean.

This and the Ramada are worst towers in the city centre.

The Ramada is to be demolished in phases and rebuilt with a new glamourous Ramada hotel building. The council agreed to give so many millions towards it.

The Ramada is to be demolished in phases and rebuilt with a new glamourous Ramada hotel building. The council agreed to give so many millions towards it.

What??? Since when? If so then this is great news!! :banana:

Wasn't it finished in 1980? Hence the completed tower came to symbolise the eighties.

Anyhow, he said 'to me', so that lets him off the hook. Hell, Maximilien Robespierre might symbolise differential calculus to me. Sure, they would be some pretty strong drugs, but you know what I mean.

1979!! So that's more 80s than it's 70s in reality, it's like on the cusp.

Dont want to be a pedant but a building concieved in the 70's, designed in the 70's, built in the 70's and finished in the 70's symbolisies the 80's does it? Hmm?

BTW that ramada thing is borderline legal and would be surprised if it happened.

1979!! So that's more 80s than it's 70s in reality, it's like on the cusp.

Same dif, I was still hanging round my parents' respective gonads at that time, so I can't say much.

Dont want to be a pedant but a building concieved in the 70's, designed in the 70's, built in the 70's and finished in the 70's symbolisies the 80's does it? Hmm?

BTW that ramada thing is borderline legal and would be surprised if it happened.

It wouldn't be the first time that something of an earlier time came to symbolise a later time. Think of the Mini, symbolised the 60s, but designed and first built in the 50s.


BTW: Which hotel is getting knocked down? Because the only one I can think of which matches the previous descriptions really shouldn't be touched. It's fab the way it is, and only needs a clean.

Dont want to be a pedant but a building concieved in the 70's, designed in the 70's, built in the 70's and finished in the 70's symbolisies the 80's does it? Hmm?

Yeah, by the time you've realised it's there, you're well into 1980 so the deed's done.:)

Do you ot reckon that an extension of the Arndale Tower upwards would look good? Taking it to around 30 maybe 40? Like a beacon tower like Radio City Tower Liverpool highlighting the retail district?

Just Wondered!

Do you ot reckon that an extension of the Arndale Tower upwards would look good? Taking it to around 30 maybe 40? Like a beacon tower like Radio City Tower Liverpool highlighting the retail district?

Just Wondered!


I think it already serves that purpose, it's great if you're lost in Manc...spot arndale tower, you know where the the Arndale Centre is, spot City Tower, you know where Piccadilly Bus station Is, CIS for Shudehill Bus station and soon...Eastgate for Piccadilly Train station!

I think me and b4rndalemmy agreed some time ago that it would look a whole lot better if it was taller - so i came up with this!

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/garybaldy/arn.jpg



http://www.virtual-planit.com/CHRIS/arn2.jpg

Give it a good clean, and as mentioned earlier fix the night lighting. P&O made a huge fuss about what - £200,000 worth - of lighting when it was installed a few years ago. The low level uplighting may have been a balls up but the rooftop looked good. The tower is twisted 6 inches from bottom to top after the bomb so maybe they thought again about extending it.

Maybe it`d get Beetham to get their backsides in gear and use LED uplights on the sail. After all, that`s all it`s useful for. And maybe get all the aircraft lights and Hilton signs working at the same time. 6 months old and they are already knackered.

BTW; yesterday, winds NNW, the Beetham sail was singing again. Different harmonics this time.

^^ Still haven't heard these mystery chords chiming from beetham. Was right next to this over the weekend, pretty torrential down waftage of wind but I couldn't hear a thing...mind you, I have tinnitus which blows it's own melodica inside my head, perhaps masking the beetham whistle.

Do the purple and pink lights still get turned on around the top?

...The tower is twisted 6 inches from bottom to top after the bomb so maybe they thought again about extending it.

...

What kind of payout did the owners of the Arndale Centre get from the bomb? I mean, the insurance you and me take out normally excludes acts of terrorism (and war, depending on your political persuasion), but they must have received some kind of money to repair the building.

I was just wondering, because if the bomb did structural damage to the tower, they may have received some money to compensate for the 'shortening of the tower's lifespan'. I don't know, but it's an interesting thought.

Dont want to be a pedant but a building concieved in the 70's, designed in the 70's, built in the 70's and finished in the 70's symbolisies the 80's does it? Hmm?

I was born in the eighties yet i'm a nighties kid.

I was born in the eighties yet i'm a nighties kid.

I think the key differentiation is the one between 'human' and 'building' though!:nuts:

Ive got letters after my name and have been described in various newspapers as an 'architectural historian' and i am saying the Arndale is a 70's building.
End of discussion.

I think the key differentiation is the one between 'human' and 'building' though!:nuts:

Ive got letters after my name and have been described in various newspapers as an 'architectural historian' and i am saying the Arndale is a 70's building.
End of discussion.

I remember seeing it get built, a tall green Taylor Woodrow crane connected to the concrete core of the building. That's when Oldham Street had loads of chain stores.

I think the key differentiation is the one between 'human' and 'building' though!:nuts:

Ive got letters after my name and have been described in various newspapers as an 'architectural historian' and i am saying the Arndale is a 70's building.
End of discussion.

Oh and why do you keep assuming that i'm a human? I think i may just change my name, stop these silly presumptions. :ohno:

Oh and why do you keep assuming that i'm a human? I think i may just change my name, stop these silly presumptions.

You are starting to start to sound like Emma now! Pack it in!

You are starting to start to sound like Emma now! Pack it in!

Yeh..






There's a girl on this forum?

It was designed in the 70's... end of!

PINK LIGHTS... anyone??!! (again)

To the tune of Killing Joke's 80s (that's the same as nirvana 's Come as you are for the younger readers)

70s it was built in the 70s
70s it made it's way in the 70s
Push Push, Struggle!

etc. etc.

http://www.virtual-planit.com/CHRIS/twist1.jpg

http://www.virtual-planit.com/CHRIS/twist.JPG

....maybe its time for an ALSOP/SIMPSON collaboration.

Turn the lights back on!!!

http://lowefoto.com/konica/urbis05.jpg

Doesn't matter how cool it is lit up at night, I have always maintained that this is one hell of an ugly fucker throwback from the beige-obsessed 70s and I wish it would be torn down and replaced with something a bit less brick like. I would NOT miss it nor its height/massing for the world.

Do the purple and pink lights still get turned on around the top?

I haven't the faintest idea......it all depends on what sort of busty buxom blondes may chance to slink past their way I s'pose. And I haven't really kept count of how many of those saunter around Manchester these days.

http://www.virtual-planit.com/CHRIS/twist1.jpg

http://www.virtual-planit.com/CHRIS/twist.JPG

....maybe its time for an ALSOP/SIMPSON collaboration.


^^

Proof indeed, if any were needed, that the drugs DO work!!


:lol: :lol: :rofl: :rofl:

If it was built in the early 70's it must have been designed in the 60's.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f335/markydeedrop/c8fd28e2.jpg

Yep, sure is a nice building. Solid, substantial, neat, tidy, well-crowned, colourful, and so beautiful against a clear blue sky. I like yellow. Do you know every room in my house is yellow? It's gorgeous on a sunny day.

Could do with a clean though.

Sainsbury's HR hub set for Arndale
Kevin Feddy
25/ 7/2007

TAKEOVER target Sainsbury's is to spend £12m on a human resources hub in Manchester for its 147,000 store staff, the supermarket giant announced today.

Its investment at the Arndale Tower will create 250 jobs over the next two years.

Sainsbury's, a £10.4bn bid target for Delta Two, an investment fund backed by the royal family of Qatar, currently operates all retail HR functions within its 780 stores.

It says the new centre will free its retail managers from administrative tasks, enabling them to focus more on customer service, leadership and training.

The chain said the scheme would go ahead regardless of whether Delta Two acquires the business. It has offered 600p a share.

Sainsbury's says it will become the first retailer in the country to establish a `human resources shared services' (HRSS) operation, although other companies such as BUPA, HSBC and IBM have already done so.

Efficiency

Imelda Walsh, Sainsbury's HR director, said: "HRSS will increase efficiency, simplify processes and eliminate duplication. Most importantly, it will provide first-class service for our colleagues and allow store and personnel managers to dedicate more of their time to train and develop colleagues, which will ultimately improve customer service."

Manchester beat other cities to be chosen for the centre, which is to open in October and be fully operational by 2009.

Manchester's inward investment agency, MIDAS, worked closely with Sainsbury's on the project. Chief executive Colin Sinclair said today: "Sainsbury's will make a wonderful addition to the growing shared services sector in the region."

Sainsbury's will join other blue-chip companies with this type of centre in Manchester, such as the Royal Bank of Scotland, whose HR hub in Spinningfields employs more than 400 people. Others with a similar presence include AstraZeneca and TetraPak.

Delta Two says Asda veteran Tony Campbell will become chairman of the chain if its 600p-a-share offer succeeds.

Bring back the pink lights!

Bring back the pink lights!

It appears that the Red sign has also been switched off, or at least has been recently

the arndale tower is one of a kind.
in fifteen years people will flock from all over the nation to marvel at it.

It appears that the Red sign has also been switched off, or at least has been recently

Maybe to save burning electric and creating more Co2's, not. God i hate all this green bollxxxs!!

Yep, sure is a nice building. Solid, substantial, neat, tidy, well-crowned, colourful, and so beautiful against a clear blue sky. I like yellow. Do you know every room in my house is yellow? It's gorgeous on a sunny day.

Could do with a clean though.

Aye - they could at least have cleaned around the edges where 'CENTRE' used to be, instead of just removing them and leaving the muck to spell out the word... :ohno:

Mind you, then they'd have left a clean patch. :)

Apologies if this is old news

Sainsbury's makes Manchester its new home for HR



24/07/2007


250 new jobs will be created in the next two years when Sainsbury’s opens its UK human resources office in Manchester, inward investment agency MIDAS and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) announced today. Sainsbury's, which will be investing £12 million in the Manchester city region, will locate to Manchester Arndale Tower to create a shared services centre for human resources - a centralised HR office servicing Sainsbury's stores nationwide.

Manchester beat off stiff competition from other cities to be Sainsbury's favoured location due to cost effective property in the heart of the city centre as well as an established shared service centre industry and good availability of talent.

Business development managers from MIDAS supported Sainsbury's and marketed Manchester from an early stage. Following initial discussions, MIDAS hosted a visit to the city for Sainsbury's to see how other shared services centres performed in Manchester.

The investment agency was also able to work closely with the Sainsbury's team to provide networking opportunities and introductions along with information on available property, training and recruitment.

A crucial Selective Finance for Investment (SFI) grant from the Northwest Regional Development Agency helped to secure Manchester as the preferred investment location.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA said: "SFI funding allows us to support organisations of all sizes to invest in the region, and on this occasion we are supporting one of the best known brands in the country.

"We are delighted that SFI funding has helped to secure a significant amount of private investment and more new jobs for the Northwest, helping the retailer to create a centre of service excellence for their employees."

Imelda Walsh, HR Director at Sainsbury's, added: "This is a very exciting initiative, and goes a long way to realising our aim of making Sainsbury's a great place to work.

"HRSS will increase efficiency, simplify processes and eliminate duplication. Most importantly, it will provide first class service for our colleagues and allow store and personnel managers to dedicate more of their time to train and develop colleagues, which will ultimately improve customer service."

Colin Sinclair, Chief Executive at MIDAS commented: "Manchester and the North West has much to offer potential investors, including good transport links and a large and talented skills base, as well as cost effective office space.

MIDAS has worked with Sainsbury's for over a year and is delighted with this decision, the organisation will make a wonderful addition to the growing shared services sector in the region."

Sainsbury's plan to open their HR shared service centre in October 2007 in the Arndale Tower, which will house their main UK human resources function as well as provide a range of services to support back office functions.

The roles will be phased over the next two years building up to 250 roles to support the Sainsbury's HR shared service.

Sainsbury's joins a number of other successful HR shared services centres in Manchester, such as Royal Bank of Scotland, which successfully centralised its HR centre in Manchester's Spinningfields development in 2005, employing over 400 staff.

Other award winning shared service centres such as TetraPak Business Service and AstraZeneca are also helping Manchester cement its reputation as a centre of excellence for shared services.

The North West Shared Services Forum - now 39 members strong – has also helped to attract companies to the area. Sainsbury's cites the Forum as one of the key indicators that Manchester is a proven location for successful shared service centres.

Manchester has become one of the largest hubs for shared services in Europe. In 2006/7 shared services brought 125 new jobs to the Manchester city region and safeguarded a further 189, according to the latest MIDAS figures, with companies such as Marks and Spencer, Sodexho and Tyco setting up or expanding in Manchester.



Source: MIDAS press release


http://www.investinmanchester.com/News-n1832

This story is under the Arndale Tower thread as that is where they are to be based. It's on this forum, though depending when you read this, may not be on this page.

The pink lights are back!! Including neons round the top! Woo!!

im new and have a few pics of arndale :d
not good as weather and not a photographer lol
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/phillipflynn/Manchester71108snaketank017.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/phillipflynn/Manchester71108snaketank016-1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/phillipflynn/Manchester71108snaketank013-1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/phillipflynn/MANCHESTERARNDALE.jpg
lol had too
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/phillipflynn/Manchester71108snaketank020-1.jpg

I'm sure there was a crane on top of the tower today. No idea what it would be doing.

http://www.photoeverywhere.co.uk/britain/manchester/17-arndale2.jpg

Well ?? What Occupies the 25 Storey high-rise ??
Offices ?? Storage-Space for the shops in the Arndale Centre ?? I've always wondered ...

http://www.aidan.co.uk/md/ManBigWheelNt5112.jpg

Well ?? What Occupies the 25 Storey high-rise ??
Offices ?? Storage-Space for the shops in the Arndale Centre ?? I've always wondered ...

... and could one of the operators please delete the other thread I acidentally created, I double posted by accident, sorry :/

i worked there for over a year, the top floor is the 19th floor

19, 16, 15 TLC (formerly known as teletech) used as a call centre for o2 pay as you go
18 + 17, sainsburys
steria 14 + 13
12th floor is unoccupied
11th plant floor (with the louvres)

the building is split into a top and bottom half, i am not quite sure which companies occupy which floors in the bottom half but they include:
arndale centre management
learning and skills council
dissabilty rights commision

Its just an office block, let out to multiple occupiers, usually taking a floor, part of a floor or sometimes a few floors each.

http://www.arndalehouse.co.uk/

Ahhh thankyou both muchly :)

some photos from the house:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/golddigga19/4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/golddigga19/1-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/golddigga19/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/golddigga19/3-1.jpg

Is it really modern inside ??

Is it really modern inside ??

Yes. All the office floors are quite well cared for. The offices, toilets and circulation areas where refurbished in the late 1990's and early 2000's (i think) and still look quite fresh.
obviously the interior was very badly damaged by the 1996 bomb, it lost almost all the windows, doors where blown off, ceilings came down, mechanical and electrial systems needed replacing.

the top half used to be occupied by littlewoods, almost all the furniture (expensive herman miller desks and chairs) was provided by them and is still there. however, it is clear that they top half was refurbished at a differnt time to the bottom half, the fixtures and fittings are older in the bottom half and some of the offices are partitioned. the top half is mostly open plan.
the lifts could be unreliable, there are 8 lifts, 4 for each half, they all meet at the 10th floor . the top half go 10 to 19 + basement, lower mall, upper mall, messine ( above UM but below 1) with 2 that can go to 11 (you need a key to stop at 11). the lower half lifts go from basment to 10th floor. the lifts where having their doors replaced, this takes a few weeks for each lift and means taking 1 out of action.

So, like Manchester, the Arndale got a refurbishment after the Bomb.

And I used to think it was grimy and horrible up there, like the outside ;)

Thanks again for the info x

I always thought that Prudential Insurance owned it or leased a big chunk of it.

I think they should refurbish it as so..

http://www.fredcarla.nl/mooi%20rtdam%20Maastoren2.jpg The Maas toren in Rotterdam, but I think it should keep its distinct golden colour - say a nice dark gold near the base and a very, very soft gradient to an off white at the top, with some decent lighting - it wouldn't lose the character but would be a little less 80's public toilet cubicle.

For some reason I do liket the Arndale though, but yeh - its Manchester we're talking about and well, you can't be picky with the talls here, we have so few compared to every other like-sized city :| *cough*

A proper, solid, 3-dimensional office tower. Shame about the bloody tiles!

Lots of people won't agree - but my favourite building in the city is the City/Sunley Tower. It's so beautiful now it's been refurbished. :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2954563755_43e26af6a1.jpg

It is miles better with the black cladding, but it is spoilt by the hotel, knock that down and it'd improve the area a whole lot more.

At first, with the white bit on the side, I thought it looked a bit unfinished, but i'm used to it now and I really like it

With the hotel, wern't they going to demolish that and rebuild it a few years back ??

my views on the arndale are well documented on this site

it is an awful blot on the landscape and if it ever goes i will rejoice

HOWEVER

the inside is very nice. i went to meet somebody on the top floor (when shop direct were up there) and i was shocked by how plush it was - the views are also unbelievably good as you would expect

Manchester's tall buildings may be a blot on the landscape, but we need to cherish them all we can, simply because we dont have many tall buildings (in the city center) for a city of our size.

I'm with VB, 'd rather have the Arndale Tower, in all its public-loo like glory, than not have it at all...

Nobody knows?

Rusks and a mini replica of Postman Pat's van.

I opened this thread ages back and i didn't mean to because I already had one running under the same name (double post). The question has already been answered - can Comdot or someone please get rid of it ?? x

I'd like to see a reclad and an extra ten stories in height put on. Wonder if this will ever happen......

Reclad maybe. Extra storeys no. I believe the building is twisted as a result of the bomb, so extra height would probably be impossible.

Here's a buit of trivia for you. The building may be fugly as hell but there is only one un-occupied floor out of a total of 17 letable floors.

Here's a buit of trivia for you. The building may be fugly as hell but there is only one un-occupied floor out of a total of 17 letable floors.

I feel I should be enthusing and oozing sentiment on an american middle class middle Market middle of the day Tabloid talk show saying:

"true beauty is inner beauty."

Please don’t bump this thread unless there’s hard evidence its being reclad, cleaned or pulled to the ground. The external lighting maintenance of this building is bordering on the ridiculous. Once every two years? If that

The lifts and lift lobbies have just been refurbished :)

As the only true, cuboid, office block, of height, outside London, I think it is great.

Sick of these cheating slabs we have...this is a proper looking tall build.

despite its stocky nature, it still looks higher than 90m to me