Campaign to save Centenary Building as site set to be demolished

An appeal has been launched to save the award winning Centenary building after it was announced that it would be demolished. 

The building that won the prestigious Stirling Prize award in 1996, which declared it the UK’s best new building, has struggled to find permanent inhabitants since.

From 2016 it hasn’t been used for its intended purpose, only finding use between 2019 and 2022 as it was the site for the Channel 4 TV show ‘The Circle’, but other than that has been derelict.

Responding to the proposed closure, an appeal to get the building listed has been put in place to pressure the University and Council into saving the site.

Campaigns Director Oli Marshall said: “It’s hugely disappointing that the commendable previous proposals for conversion to a school or for community use have floundered, and to now see the vacant building proposed for demolition.

That would be wholly irresponsible and an unnecessary outcome, and we urge the University to reconsider.”

In a 2018 plan for the Adelphi Development Zone, it was stated that the Centenary building would be converted to a Primary School.

But since that announcement, the plan has changed to make way for 900 new homes in Salford.

Following this Oli Marshall continued: “This is a sophisticated piece of modern architecture, with clear opportunities for adaptive re-use – it acted as catalyst for previous regeneration in the area, and could do so again.”

The Stirling award, received by the building 28 years ago, is given out to architects that have made the biggest impact on the past year’s advancements in architecture.

Other past winners of the prize include the Millenium Bridge, Lord’s Media Centre and, most recently, the Elizabeth Line.

Eddy Rhead, co-founder of the Manchester Modernist Society, said: “For a relatively low key building to win it is important, you know, the fact that it was in Salford for a start, relatively low budget and when it was built Salford wasn’t that desirable.

“It was built using all the latest you know technologies in terms of heating and energy use. It’s an attractive architecturally interesting building as well on a relatively limited budget.

“Once this building was celebrated, and now they want to demolish it, the real kicker is that such a young building should be demolished.”