Beetham Tower, Manchester

Beetham Tower
Hilton Tower
Beetham Tower from Deansgate
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Hotel, residential, office
Architectural style	High-tech / Neomodern
Location	301–303 Deansgate, Manchester, England
Construction started	2004
Completed	2006
Cost	£150 million
Owner	Yianis Group
Height
Antenna spire	To glass façade overrun: 168.87 m (554.0 ft)
Roof	157 m (515 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	47
Floor area	485,000 square feet (45,100 m2)
Lifts/elevators	8
Design and construction
Architect	SimpsonHaugh and Partners
Developer	Beetham Organization
Structural engineer	WSP Group
Main contractor	Carillion
Awards and prizes	CTBUH Best Tall Building Award 2007
References

Beetham Tower (also known as the Hilton Tower) is a landmark 47-storey mixed-use skyscraper in Manchester, England. Completed in 2006, it is named after its developers, the Beetham Organisation, and was designed by SimpsonHaugh and Partners. The development occupies a sliver of land at the top of Deansgate, hence its elongated plan and was proposed in July 2003 with construction starting a year later. At a height of 554 feet (169 m), it is the tallest building in the United Kingdom outside London and 10th tallest building in the United Kingdom. It has been described by the Financial Times as "the UK’s only proper skyscraper outside London". Consequently, it is the tallest building in Manchester however construction commenced in July 2016 on Tower 1 at Owen Street which will surpass the Beetham Tower as the tallest building in Manchester when completed in 2019 with a height of 659 feet (201 m).

As a result of the elongated floor plan, the structure is one of the thinnest skyscrapers in the world with a height to width ratio of 10:1 on the east-west façade but is noticeably wider on the north-south façade. A blade structure on the south side of the building acts as a façade overrun accentuating its slim form and doubles as a lightning rod. The skyscraper is visible from ten English counties on a clear day. The top-floor penthouse offers views of Greater Manchester, the Cheshire Plain, the Pennines, the Peak District and Snowdonia. The tower is known for emitting a loud unintentional hum or howl in windy weather, believed to emanate from the glass 'blade' atop the building. The hum has been recorded as a B below middle C and can be heard over large parts of the locality.