THE MANCHESTER SKYLINE FOR THENEW MILLENNIUM

- HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT – The Site: Salford Quays-

THE ARCHITECTS – James Stirling, Michael Wilford and Daniel Libeskind-

THE BUILDINGS – The Lowry-1997/2000; The Millennium Foot-Bridge-2000;Imperial War Museum North-2000/2002-

EXPERIENCING TODAY-

CONCLUSION

Text and lllustrations :

JOAQUIM MANUEL GRAÇA DA PAZMANCHESTER - January 2007

THE MANCHESTER SKYLINE FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT – The Site: Salford Quays

-Above: Archive photographs from the collection of Mike Dilger,who ran the White Lion public house in Castlefield

The Manchester Ship Canal, one of the last major canals constructed in Britain, was opened in1894. Considered at the time, the largest engineering work carried out in Britain, it was planed toallow ocean-going ships to reach the city. Later in 1905 the largest dock no. 9 was constructed,being the docks then regarded as the fourth most important port in this country. This importantconnection to Liverpool trough the Ship Canal, was permitting then the local industry to bettercompete and distribute its production trough the rest of the world, and in that way contributing forthe leading role Manchester had to play in the Industrial Revolution occurring. But lately thedevelopment of new and bigger ships, container ports and motorway links have made them obsolete,and in the later 1980’s, the docks were closed.From any disaster, for more dramatic they could be, something positive can always be found, andeven death can be faced as the necessary turning point for the nature renewal.That seems to be a kind of rule, which can be applied to any other aspect of life or human activity,so, also Manchester, as a social organism took the opportunity found from the destruction caused bythe IRA bombing in 1996, to start a new cycle of renewal.And, as a new century and a new millennium began, also in Manchester new ideas start arising inthe horizon. So, it’s here where the renewal and the re-dimensioning of the image of Manchesterstarts taking place.The Salford Docks have now been redeveloped as Salford Quays,and bringingthe renewal of the city to his maritime entrance, the areabecame with these two most interestingpublic buildings connected by the bridge, like the big outdoor of Manchester, linking communitiesfrom both sides, and turning the site from a busy working place to a pleasant relaxing public spaceattracting and welcoming more people.With refreshing city planning ideas still taking place, being extended from there through a globalrenovation of the image of the city for the new millennium, these buildings, amongst others newlandmarks, like the Urbis and the newest Beetham Tower, by Ian Simpson, partially open as theHilton Hotel in June 2006, are changing for ever the Manchester skyline.But the changes and the renewals always use to cause some concerning in more traditionalistminds, which, in the case, the architect,(one of the major responsible for the last changes of theManchester architecture and particularly for the redesign of the city centre)answered, when talkingat a conference in Manchester about his late creation , and in itself an expression of Manchesterpride, as published by the local press, last December 2006 : “Manchester is only now just startingto take shape (…) we need to grasp this opportunity and go for it, and not worry about Victorianarchitecture.”

THE ARCHITECTS :James Stirling and Michael Wilford

Sir James Frazer Stirling, born in 22 April 1924, in Glasgow, studied architecture from 1945 to1950 at the University of Liverpool. In 1956 have found his first company with James Gowan andthe best-know result of this cooperation is the Engineering Building in Leicester, noted for istechnical and geometrical character.From 1963 he had managed the firm alone, but in 1971, Michael Wilford, who was working theresince 1960, became also partner of the firm, and later in 1992, after the death of Sir James Stirlinghe was running the firm and has complete the Lowry Project as many any other projects realizedposthumously, like the Staats Galerie in Sttutgart completed in 1994, which still being regarded ashis relevant masterpiece, and for which has been called as master of styles.Awarded in 1981 with the renowned Pritzker Prize, being granted a knighthood in 1992 and since1996 having an annual prize for architecture named after him, his concept of architecture was firstlyregarded as brutalist and lately is considered as the leader protagonist of the eclectic post-modernism, or sharing the paternity with Charles Moore.He is known for his personal colourful approach and the use of regular, geometrical shapes andwas one of the first defenders of architecture as an independent art, as himself states :“I'm not even sure whether I'm an English Architect, a European or an International Architect. (…)In England in particular there is a peculiar breath of scandal attaching to the pursuit of architectureas Art. (…) However, for me, right from the beginning the ‘art’ of architecture has always been

the

priority.”Michael Wilford was born in 1938 in Hartfield, East Sussex – England, and studied at theNorthern Polytechnic School of Architecture in London. In 1960 joined the practice which JamesStirling created in 1956.His work includes art centres, art galleries, museums and libraries all around the world, and hasgain international renown and many of his significant public buildings have been awarded,including The Lowry Centre in 2001, as before the British Embassy in Berlin also has won theRIBA European Award.Michael Wilford is member of Royal Institute of British Architects, and many other Institutesaround the world; has been lecturing since 1975 in many universities in United States, Canada,Australia and England,Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Spain,Singapore, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and New Zealandand lately has being an external examinerat many UK schools of architecture.

Daniel Libeskind

Daniel Libeskind is one of the most prolific, interesting, influent and energetic architects of ourtimes.Born in 1946 in Lodz , Poland, started studying music in Israel, but later has changed toarchitecture, becoming graduated in 1970 in New York and post-graduated in History and Theoryof Architecture by the University of Essex (United Kingdom) in 1972.Soon after, opened his first office in Berlin-Germany in 1989, the same year he won thecompetition for the Jewish museum in Berlin, which has been completed and open to public inSeptember 2001.In the meantime, he has produced the city museum of Osnabrück, Germany, The Felix NussbaumHaus, opened in July 1998, and after that, in July 2002, the Imperial War Museum North inManchester, England, was completed and opened to the public.Being firstly awarded, in 1997 by The American Academy of Arts and Letters, his projects andawards are numerous, including in 2001 the Hiroshima Art Prize, and lately in 2004 for the LondonMetropolitan University and Imperial War Museum North.