ANOTHER 45 DEGREES..

A few weeks back the Co-operative Group, one of Manchester's largest and longest lived businesses announced their new Headquarters building to be built opposite their main location in the city. July planning permission pending it will look like this..


For those that know the Manchester skyline, this is hardly a surprise. Surprisingly enough the architect is not Will Alsop - who has somewhat cornered the market in (relatively) cheap to construct buildings of steel frame and glass cladding with a 45 degree roofline.

This time 3D Reid have designed a very similar look to many of Manchester's newest buildings, with a slight twist to the building body but that all too familiar roofline.

Don't get me wrong, the HQ will be a great addition to the city centre, more because its location will extend it northwards and out of the traditional city core (look up Miller Street on Google maps and take a look at the satellite view - lots of unused car parking lots and older industrial buildings abound at the moment). It also underscores the importance and strengths of Manchester as a key UK business location.

But, please. This one, like the rest of 'em, is just plain BORING!