The Beetham Organisation is transforming the skylines of the UK's major cities with its skyscraping buildings, many of them housing a hotel element alongside residential and office accommodation. First, Liverpool saw the construction of a 30 storey tower by Aedas Architects housing a Radisson SAS. Birmingham's recently completed 10 Holloway Circus is the tallest building in its city - a 39 storey mixed-use tower by Ian Simpson Architects, also accommodating a Radisson SAS hotel on its first 18 floors.
Manchester is now set to get its own Beetham Tower, also designed by Ian Simpson Architects. The building occupies a site that forms part of the 100 million Great Northern retail and leisure development. Hilton International acquired the site, which had detailed planning consent for a hotel and apartments, from the developers, Morrison Merlin Limited. The Beetham Organisation then bought it and began construction of what will be the tallest residential building in Europe, and the seventh tallest building of any kind in the UK.
It has been designed to be as slender as is physically possible.
The hotel element, with interior design by Jestico + Whiles, is situated in the lower 23 floors of the building, and will offer 285 guestrooms. A destination bar is located between the hotel and the residential apartments, located within the upper floors of the tower, from level 25 to level 47 where the building cantilevers out approximately 4m beyond the hotel below.
The glazed skin of the buffer zone to the south faade cantilevers above roof level to form a crystalline blade blurs the distinction between the building and the surrounding skies.
www.beethamuk.com
