Daily Express Building, Manchester
Building in Manchester, England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Daily Express Building, Manchester?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Daily Express Building, located on Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, England, is a Grade II* listed building which was designed by engineer Sir Owen Williams. It was built in 1939 to house one of three Daily Express offices; the other two similar buildings are located in London and Glasgow.
Daily Express Building | |
---|---|
Express Building | |
General information | |
Type | Office and residential |
Architectural style | Futurist Art Deco Streamline Moderne |
Location | Great Ancoats Street, Ancoats, Manchester |
Country | England |
Coordinates | 53.4849°N 2.2313°W / 53.4849; -2.2313 |
Construction started | 1936 |
Completed | 1939[1] |
Renovated | 1960 (extension)[2] 1979 (two-storey extension)[2] 1983[2] 1993–95 (office conversion)[2] 2018 |
Dimensions | |
Diameter | 75,600 square feet (7,020 m2) |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Steel and glass (curtain wall) |
Floor count | Six-storeys |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Sir Owen Williams |
Civil engineer | Sir Owen Williams |
Designations | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Daily Express Building |
Designated | 2 October 1974 |
Reference no. | 1218285 |
The pre-World War II building is notable for its timeless, "space-age"[3] quality and is often mistaken for being much younger than it is due to its futuristic avant garde appearance.[4] The building is futurist art deco, specifically streamline moderne with its horizontal lines and curved corners. It is clad in a combination of opaque and vitrolite glass. It was considered highly radical at the time, and incorporates what was at the time a growing technology, curtain walling.[5]
Unlike the London and Glasgow Express buildings, the Manchester building was designed by the engineer for all three buildings, Sir Owen Williams.[6] It is considered the best of the three Express Buildings,[7][8] and is admired by architects (such as Norman Foster)[9] and Mancunians alike.[10][11] The building was Grade II*-listed in 1974, just 35 years after its initial construction, and remains Greater Manchester's youngest II*-listed building.[12]