Urbis Building, Manchester


Urbis is a unusual building in Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, designed by Ian Simpson Architects with consulting engineers Martin Stockley Associates.
The building opened in June 2002 as part of the redevelopment of Exchange Square known as the Millennium Quarter. The building has six storeys and a distinctive sloping form. Visitors view the exhibits from the top floor, accessed by an elevator, and progress down a series of cascading mezzanine floors to the end of the exhibition. The exterior consists of approximately 2,200 glass panes arranged in horizontal strips. The building has an adiabatic cooling system for use in summer and heat recovery system for use in winter increasing its energy efficiency.