3274
Global
Height rank

Beetham Tower

Manchester
Height 168.9 m / 554 ft
Floors 50
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Beetham Tower

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

Hilton Tower

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed, 2006

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

United Kingdom

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Manchester

Postal Code

M3

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

residential / hotel

Structural Material
Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Reinforced Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars.

Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.

concrete

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

168.9 m / 554 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
168.9 m / 554 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
149.2 m / 489 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

50

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

2

# of Apartments
Number of Apartments refers to the total number of residential units (including both rental units and condominiums) contained within a particular building.

219

Rankings
#
3274
Tallest in the World
#
117
Tallest in Europe
#
13
Tallest in United Kingdom
#
2
Tallest in Manchester
#
626
Tallest Mixed-use Building in the World
#
29
Tallest Mixed-use Building in Europe
#
2
Tallest Mixed-use Building in United Kingdom
#
1
Tallest Mixed-use Building in Manchester
#
1774
Tallest Concrete Building in the World
#
85
Tallest Concrete Building in Europe
#
2
Tallest Concrete Building in United Kingdom
#
2
Tallest Concrete Building in Manchester
Construction Schedule
2004

Construction Start

2006

Completed

Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Owner
Ground Rents Income Fund plc
Developer
The Beetham Organization Ltd.
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.

Blue Manchester
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Carillion PLC
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Marketing
Hilton Worldwide

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Worldwide 2007 Winner

2007 CTBUH Awards

Videos

12 June 2013 | Manchester

London and Beyond: Regionalism and the British Skyscraper

There are very few architects who have built tall buildings across numerous cities in the UK, and yet several cities outside London have enthusiastically embraced...

Research

02 June 2017

A “Fabric-First” Approach to Sustainable Tall Building Design

Philip Oldfield, University of New South Wales

This research suggests the most effective way for improving energy efficiency in tall buildings is a “fabric-first” approach. This involves optimizing the performance of the...

About Beetham Tower

The creation of an iconic landmark tower on this site was seen as an opportunity to create visual connectivity with the city centre, creating a destination and attracting activity to the south of the centre.

The scheme brings the 24hr activity of a busy hotel to the street with living spaces from studios for young professionals to family dwellings above. Visible from every route into the city, the tower is a statement of Manchester as an urban centre for living, working and relaxing.

The distinctive profile of the tower is created by two simple gestures: The apartment component is articulated by cantilevering the residential accommodation out beyond the hotel below at the sky bar, Level 23. This creates the dramatic stepped form. The glazed skin of the buffer zone to the south façade cantilevers 25m above the top floor level to form a crystalline “blade”.

Fundamental to the success of this scheme was the efficiency of the design. The careful coordination between Structural Engineering and MEP ensured efficiency of design and construction. Innovations such as advanced Fire Engineering delivered a highly efficient core solution whilst the use of passive ‘buffer zones’ and CHP delivered an energy efficient scheme.

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Worldwide 2007 Winner

2007 CTBUH Awards

12 June 2013 | Manchester

London and Beyond: Regionalism and the British Skyscraper

There are very few architects who have built tall buildings across numerous cities in the UK, and yet several cities outside London have enthusiastically embraced...

25 October 2007 | Manchester

CTBUH 6th Annual Awards

The CTBUH 6th Annual Awards Dinner, set within the atmospheric setting of Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology,...

02 June 2017

A “Fabric-First” Approach to Sustainable Tall Building Design

Philip Oldfield, University of New South Wales

This research suggests the most effective way for improving energy efficiency in tall buildings is a “fabric-first” approach. This involves optimizing the performance of the...

17 October 2016

A “Fabric-First” Approach to Sustainable Tall Building Design

Philip Oldfield, University of New South Wales

This research suggests the most effective way for improving energy efficiency in tall buildings is a “fabric-first” approach. This involves optimizing the performance of the...

17 October 2016

Remodel, Recycle or Rebuild? - Addressing the Fire Safety Challenges of Repurposing Skyscrapers

Simon Lay, Olsson Fire & Risk

Some of our established world cities are already facing the challenge of older tall building stock that is no longer relevant to the most commercially...

10 October 2004

Fire Engineering the Tallest Building in the Historic City of Manchester, UK

Dean Kevin McGrail & Simon Francis Lay, WSP Fire Engineering; W.K. Chow, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

This paper addresses the fire engineered design of the means of escape provisions from the residential areas of the New Landmark Beetham Tower in the...