Beetham Tower

The Beetham Tower stands on Deansgate in Manchester, a 47-storey skyscraper completed in 2006. It was the tallest building in the UK outside London until 2018, when it was overtaken by Deansgate Square’s South Tower. The tower’s narrow design gives it a height-to-width ratio of 10:1 on one side, making it one of the world’s thinnest skyscrapers. A 4-metre cantilever marks the division between the hotel and residential floors, while a glass blade on the south side acts as a lightning rod and accentuates its slim form. The tower was praised as the UK’s first proper skyscraper outside London and won the best tall building in the world award in 2007. Its design sparked debate, with some arguing it overshadowed Manchester’s historic skyline, while others saw it as a symbol of the city’s post-industrial reinvention. The tower’s wind-induced hum, a B note below middle C, has been recorded and heard across parts of the city. It is visible from ten English counties on clear days, standing as a landmark of Manchester’s regeneration. Inside, the lower 22 floors house a 279-bedroom hotel with a four-storey annexe containing a swimming pool and conference rooms. The 23rd floor features Cloud 23, a bar and lounge with a cantilevered glass floor offering views of the ground below. Residential apartments occupy floors 25 to 47, including a triplex penthouse on the top two storeys. The architect’s own penthouse on the top floor includes a semi-indoor garden with tall olive, lemon and oak trees. The tower’s glass façade and louvres control sunlight, preventing overheating while framing views of Greater Manchester, the Pennines and Snowdonia.