{{Short description|University of Salford building (1995–2025)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Use British English|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox building | name = Centenary Building | image = Centenary Building.jpg | alt = Glazed low-rise building | caption = The Centenary Building in 2009 | pushpin_map = Greater Manchester | pushpin_map_alt = | map_caption = | altitude = | building_type = | architectural_style = | structural_system = | cost = £3.2 million | client = [[University of Salford]] | location_town = [[City of Salford|Salford]], [[Greater Manchester]] | location_country = England | coordinates = {{coord|53.4864|-2.2633|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} | construction_start_date = June 1994 | completion_date = December 1995 | demolished_date = 2025 | status = Demolished | architect = [[Stephen Hodder]] | structural_engineer = [[AMEC]] | awards = * [[Stirling Prize]] (1996)<br> * [[RIBA]] Award (1996) * RIBA Architecture in Education Category Award (1996) * [[Civic Trust Award]] (1998) }}
The '''Centenary Building''' was a building at the [[University of Salford]] in [[Greater Manchester]], England. It was designed by the architect [[Stephen Hodder]], completed in December 1995, and opened in 1996. The building won the [[Royal Institute of British Architects#RIBA Awards|RIBA Award]] and inaugural [[Stirling Prize]] in 1996,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/first-stirling-prize-winner-could-become-primary-school |title=First Stirling Prize winner could become primary school |publisher=[[Architects' Journal]] |date=31 August 2018 |access-date=31 March 2023}}</ref> as well as the [[Civic Trust Awards|Civic Trust Award]] in 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.civictrustawards.org.uk/benet/schemes/centenary-building-university-of-salford |title=Centenary Building - University of Salford |publisher=[[Civic Trust Awards]] |access-date=31 March 2023}}</ref>
In October 2024, the [[Twentieth Century Society]] submitted a [[Listed building|listing application]] for the building citing its architectural significance.<ref name="C20">{{Cite web |title=Listing bid revealed for first Stirling Prize winner – The Twentieth Century Society |url=https://c20society.org.uk/news/listing-bid-revealed-for-first-stirling-prize-winner |access-date=15 November 2024 |publisher=[[Twentieth Century Society]]}}</ref> In November 2024, the University of Salford announced plans to demolish the building as part of a redevelopment scheme. The plans were met with opposition, including from the original architect.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Jack |date=12 November 2024 |title=Award-winning building to be demolished less than 30 years after being built |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/12/style/salford-university-centenary-building-scli-intl/index.html |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=[[CNN]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Waite |first=Richard |date=11 November 2024 |title=Exclusive: first Stirling Prize winner set to be demolished |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/exclusive-first-stirling-prize-winner-set-to-be-demolished |access-date=12 November 2024 |publisher=[[Architects' Journal]] |language=en}}</ref> Demolition subsequently commenced in early 2025 and was completed by the end of October.<ref name="Carey">{{cite news |last=Carey |first=Declan |date=28 October 2025 |title=Salford's prize-winning Centenary Building demolished in plan for new homes |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salfords-prize-winning-centenary-building-32762768 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |access-date=2 November 2025}}</ref>
==Site and brief== The site was situated on the edge of the city of [[Manchester]] and lay within the campus of the [[University of Salford]]. The brief called for a building that would be a "fusion of design and technology" to house the Spatial, Graphic and Industrial Design Department of the university.<ref name="Hodder">{{cite web |url=https://hodderandpartners.com/projects/centenary-building-salford/ |title=Centenary Building, Salford |publisher=Hodder and Partners |access-date=31 March 2023}}</ref> Hodder had 11 weeks to finish the design stage and begin development on site in order to ensure the [[European Union]] grant was eligible<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buildingsrus.co.uk/year_6/management/hodder/management_7.htm |title=Practice History |publisher=Buildings R Us |access-date=31 March 2023}}</ref> and it was built for less than £4 million.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Sillito |first=David |date=11 November 2024 |title=Salford: Britain's 'best new building of 1996' to be demolished |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yxl5z470vo |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Architecture== It consisted of two separate glazed structures set as a frame to an informal galleried atrium, with service towers, studio and seminar accommodation housed within a four-storey orthogonal block on the "City side" of the development.
The connection between the two blocks was formed by a raised street within which all horizontal circulation was contained in galleries.<ref name=":0" /> Working details of the escape stair were enclosed in glass block screen. Other materials included stainless steel cladding and concrete. Accommodation included seminar rooms, video-editing suites, and lecture halls.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heestates.ac.uk/goodprac/capital/value/univchal/projects/hodder.asp |title=HE Estates website : Compendium of Good Practice : Capital projects : Value of design : University Challenge : Projects : Hodder Associates |publisher=HE Estates |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071208025621/http://www.heestates.ac.uk/goodprac/capital/value/univchal/projects/hodder.asp |archive-date=8 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
The building was designed without air conditioning, instead relying on a natural ventilation system and underfloor heating which were hallmarks of its environmentally-friendly construction. However, this led to staff complaints of it being too cold in winter and too hot in the summer.<ref name=":2" /> Some rooms had no external windows, relying instead on borrowed light from the central atrium. Outside of rooms, all spaces were designed for transit and thus there were no informal 'social' areas in the building.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
The Centenary Building received several awards, including the [[Royal Institute of British Architects|RIBA]] Award (1996), the RIBA Architecture in Education Category Award (1996), the inaugural [[Stirling Prize]] (1996), and the [[Civic Trust Award]] (1998).<ref name="Hodder" />
==Listing proposal and demolition== In October 2024, the [[Twentieth Century Society]] submitted a [[Listed building|listing application]] for the Centenary Building. The building had been vacant for several years and had suffered from vandalism. Previous proposals to repurpose the building had not progressed, and the application aimed to protect it amid the ongoing redevelopment of the surrounding area.<ref name="C20" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Crook |first=Lizzie |date=12 November 2024 |title=Inaugural Stirling Prize winner at risk of demolition in Salford |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2024/11/12/stirling-prize-centenary-building-demolition/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |publisher=[[Dezeen]] |language=en}}</ref>
In November 2024, the [[University of Salford]] announced plans to demolish the building as part of a redevelopment of the Adelphi Village area.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In its rationale for the decision to demolish the building, the university said the "ageing infrastructure means it no longer meets modern standards and requirements." The design, which featured the visible movement of people and had a lack of sound insulation, made it noisy with the sound of feet on the metal staircases reverberating around the building.<ref name=":2" />
The proposal to demolish the Centenary Building sparked controversy. [[Stephen Hodder]], the building's architect described the building as a key part of his professional legacy,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> and argued that the building, which was under 30 years old, should not be demolished solely due to ageing infrastructure, as it did not justify the environmental costs of demolition and rebuilding.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 November 2024 |title=The Centenary Building, Winner of the First RIBA Stirling Prize, Under Threat of Demolition |url=https://www.archdaily.com/1023544/the-centenary-building-winner-of-the-first-riba-stirling-prize-under-threat-of-demolition |access-date=15 November 2024 |publisher=[[ArchDaily]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Hodder also highlighted the contradiction between the university's sustainability goals and the significant [[Greenhouse gas emissions|carbon emissions]] that would result from the redevelopment project.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=First Stirling Prize-winning building to be demolished, 30 years after it was built |url=https://www.domusweb.it/en/news/2024/11/14/is-a-stirling-prize-building-being-demolished.html |access-date=15 November 2024 |publisher=[[Domus (magazine)|Domus]] |language=en-gb}}</ref>
Dr. Carole O'Reilly, a senior lecturer at Salford University,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salford |first=The University of |title=Salford media expert features in new book on relationship between Royal Family and British media |url=https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/salford-media-expert-features-in-new-book-on-relationship-between-royal-family-and-british |access-date=15 November 2024 |publisher=[[University of Salford]] |language=en}}</ref> acknowledged the building's architectural significance but suggested that its failure to meet current needs might justify its demolition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Ben |date=12 November 2024 |title=900 homes on way as award-winning Salford University building to be demolished |url=https://salfordnow.co.uk/2024/11/12/centenary-building-salford-university/ |access-date=15 November 2024 |publisher=Salford Now |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Conservationists and environmental campaigners, including the Architects Climate Action Network, Architects Declare, the Twentieth Century Society and Don't Waste Buildings,<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 November 2024 |title=Environmental campaigners join bid to save Hodder's Centenary Building |url=https://archive.today/20241128094359/https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/environmental-campaigners-join-bid-to-save-hodders-centenary-building |access-date=28 November 2024 |publisher=Archive}}</ref> raised concerns about the environmental and cultural loss involved in demolishing an award-winning structure, advocating for [[adaptive reuse]] instead, emphasising the building's historical value.<ref name=":3" /> In response to the demolition proposal, [[Royal Institute of British Architects|RIBA]] board chair Jack Pringle, while not commenting specifically on the Centenary Building, emphasised the importance of the inventive reuse of buildings to achieve a [[Net-zero emissions|net-zero]] future. He also suggested that all [[Stirling Prize#Laureates and runners-up|Stirling Prize-winning buildings]] should be considered for listing.<ref name=":0" />
Demolition of the Centenary Building commenced in early 2025 and was completed by the end of October.<ref name="Carey" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://hodderandpartners.com/projects/centenary-building-salford/ Hodder and Partners, Centenary Building, Salford]
{{University of Salford}} {{Salford B&S |state=collapsed}}
[[Category:2025 disestablishments in England]] [[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1995]] [[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in the City of Salford]] [[Category:Recipients of Civic Trust Awards]] [[Category:University of Salford]]