1 The Avenue is a building in Spinningfields, Manchester, England. It is situated on Deansgate adjacent to the Grade I listed John Rylands Library.

1 The Avenue
Former names2 Spinningfields Square
General information
TypeOffice, retail
Architectural stylePost modern
LocationSpinningfields,
Manchester city centre
CountryUnited Kingdom
Construction started2007
Opened2009
LandlordAllied London
Technical details
Structural systemSteel
Floor area5,100 m2 (55,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firmSheppard Robson
Structural engineerCapita Symonds
References
[1]

Architecture

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The building consists of two mirror-image parallelograms, stacked one on top of the other, resulting in a three-storey 23 m (75 ft) cantilever on the east end of the building. The cantilever is supported by an inclined steel 'diagrid' structure.[2]

A diagrid is similar in shape to a triangle[3] and other buildings have used a diagrid structure, such as 30 St Mary Axe in London.[4]

Reaction to the glass clad building has been mixed due its proximity to the Grade I listed Rylands Library which, along with Manchester Town Hall, is considered the finest piece of architecture in the city and one of the finest interpretations of Gothic revival in the world.[5][6]

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References

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  1. ^ "1 The Avenue". Spinningfields Manchester. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  2. ^ "No 2 Spinningfields Square Manchester". steelconstruction.org. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  3. ^ "The Design of High-rise Buildings Using Diagrid Structures". Arch2O. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  4. ^ Moussavi, Farshid (2012). "30 St. Mary Axe". Harvard Design Magazine. Harvard Graduate School of Design. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  5. ^ "By John Rylands Library I sat down and wept..." Manchester School of Architecture. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  6. ^ Griffin, Phil (16 September 2008). "2 Spinningfields Square: an awkward fit or just right?". Manchester Confidential. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
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53°28′48″N 2°14′58″W / 53.48008°N 2.24935°W / 53.48008; -2.24935