domingo, abril 25, 2010

Strange Buildings - Part XIV: Manchester Civil Justice Centre, Manchester - England

The Manchester Civil Justice Centre houses the Manchester County Court and the Manchester District Registry of the High Court, as well as Manchester City Magistrates’ Family Courts, the District Probate Registry and the Regional and Area Offices of the Court Service.


It was constructed between 2003 and 2007 and is located in the Spinningfields district to the west of Deansgate.

The western side of the 80 metres (260 ft), 17-storey building faces the River Irwell, which marks the border between the cities of Manchester and Salford.

It is currently the joint 6th tallest building in the city centre.

The entrance to the building opens onto Bridge Street.


It was designed by Australian architects Denton Corker Marshall with engineers Mott MacDonald.

The building is notable for the "fingers" at each end that are cantilevered over the lower levels, and it is rumoured that Barrie Marshall sketched the entire building by hand and that very little has deviated from his drawings.

On the western side is an 11,000-square-metre (120,000 sq ft) suspended glass wall, the largest in Europe.

Bart's Blackboard

I am not a lean mean spitting machine

in Bart Sells His Soul, Episode 132, Season 7