CIS Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids CIS Tower |
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The CIS Tower with solar panel-clad service tower (left) and glazed office tower (right)
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| Record height | |
| Tallest in United Kingdom from 1962 to 1963 | |
| Preceded by | Shell Centre |
| Surpassed by | Millbank Tower |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Architectural style | International Style |
| Location | Miller Street, Manchester, England |
| Coordinates | 53°29′11″N 2°14′18″W / 53.48639°N 2.23833°W |
| Construction started | September 1959 |
| Completed | 1962 |
| Opening | 22 October 1962 |
| Renovated | 2006 |
| Cost | £3.98 million |
| Owner | SPV Devonshire (CIS Tower) Limited |
| Height | |
| Roof | 118 m (387 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 25 |
| Floor area | 388,000 sq ft (36,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Gordon Tait G. S. Hay |
| Developer | Co-operative Insurance Society |
| Designations | |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS) Building | |
| Designated: | 24 November 1995 |
| Reference #: | 1270494 |
The CIS Tower is a very tall office building. It stands on Miller Street in Manchester, England. Architects Gordon Tait and G. S. Hay designed it for the Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS). The building was finished in 1962. It reaches 118 metres (387 ft) (about 387 feet) into the sky. This makes it one of the tallest buildings in Manchester. It was also the tallest office building outside London for a long time. For over 40 years, the tower looked much the same. Then, some parts needed fixing. This led to a big update. The update added solar panels to its side.
Contents
Where the CIS Tower Stands
The CIS Tower is on Miller Street. This street is part of Manchester's main road system. Right next to it is New Century House. This is another tall office building. Gordon Tait and G. S. Hay also designed it. Both buildings were built at the same time. They were for the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS), which was the main company for CIS.
The land where the tower stands was empty for a while. It had been badly damaged during World War II. The city offered two places to build. One was in Piccadilly. But that spot required building shops and a hotel too. The CIS leaders wanted to build only their office. So, they picked the Miller Street site.
Across from the tower is One Angel Square. This building opened in 2013. It is the main office for the Co-operative Group. This group took over from the CWS. These buildings are part of an area called NOMA. This name means 'North Manchester'. It is a large area, about 20 acres (8.1 hectares). The Co-operative Group helped develop this area. Many businesses are there now. Over 6,500 people work in this neighborhood.
How the CIS Tower Looks
Building Shape and Size
The main office tower sits on top of a five-story base. This base is called a podium. Each floor of the podium is very large. It measures about 75 m × 55 m (246 ft × 180 ft). The office floors in the tower are smaller, about 18 m × 44 m (59 ft × 144 ft).
The tower has two main parts. One is the main office building, made with a steel frame. The other is a service tower. This part has no windows. It is made of strong reinforced concrete. This service tower holds the lifts and stairs. It is taller than the office part.
The building looks the same on both sides. This is called a symmetrical plan. The service tower connects to the middle of the main tower. Together, they form a shape like a squat 'T'. The whole building has a huge amount of floor space. It has 388,000 sq ft (36,000 m2) of area. The office floors are open and clear.
The Outside Walls
Both the office tower and its podium base have glass walls. These are called curtain walls. They have metal frames for the windows. Black panels made of vitreous enamel show where each floor is. The builders chose glass, steel, and aluminum. They wanted materials that would stay clean. This was important because Manchester's air used to be quite dirty.
The concrete service tower rises above the office part. It has two rows of vents at the top. This part was covered in a mosaic. A mosaic is a picture made from many small pieces. This one had 14 million tiny grey tiles, called tesserae. They were meant to sparkle in the sun.
Inside the Tower
When you enter, you see a large green sculpture. It looks like bronze but is made of fibreglass. This abstract mural by William Mitchell covers the back wall. Misha Black designed the inside of the building. Special areas for leaders used fancy wood. These included teak and cherry wood veneers.
The Story of the CIS Tower
How the Tower Was Planned and Built
Planning the New Building
The leaders of CIS needed a new main office. Their 2,500 staff worked in 10 different buildings. In 1953, Robert Dinnage, the CIS General Manager, started planning. He talked with the city of Manchester. They wanted a building that showed how important CIS was. It also needed to make Manchester look better. And, it had to be a great place for staff to work.
A special team was set up to manage the project. Architects and designers traveled to places like Italy and the United States. They wanted to see the best new office designs. The Inland Steel Building in Chicago gave them ideas. They decided to make the office floors open and clear. This meant no lifts or toilets in the way. This made the spaces very flexible. In 1958, the company decided to build the tower. G. S. Hay and Gordon Tait designed it.
Building the Tower
Construction started in September 1959. The building was finished in 1962. It cost about £3.98 million back then. This would be around £86.8 million today. John Laing Construction Ltd was the main builder.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the CIS Tower. This happened on October 22, 1962. At 118 m (387 ft), it became the tallest building in the United Kingdom. It held this record for one year. Then, the Millbank Tower in London became taller. The CIS Tower was the tallest building in Greater Manchester until 2006. That's when the Beetham Tower was built.
Making the Tower Modern
Soon after it was built, some mosaic tiles started falling off. This was because the cement wasn't strong enough. Also, the concrete didn't have enough expansion joints. The tower became a protected building in 1995. This meant its look could not be changed easily. But the falling tiles were still a problem. English Heritage had to agree to any changes.
In 2004, CIS decided to replace the old mosaic. They worked with Solarcentury. They added blue building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) cells. These are like solar panels. They cover the side of the building. These cells make about 180,000 kilowatt-hours (650,000 MJ) of electricity each year. This was the largest solar wall in Europe at the time. The new solar panels started making electricity in November 2005. They sent power to the National Grid.
This big project cost £5.5 million. Some money came from the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The government's Department of Trade and Industry also helped. This solar power project was called one of the "10 best green energy projects" of 2005.
Plans for a New Look
In April 2025, there were reports about new plans for the CIS Tower. A company called Lenrose Ventures was preparing to update the building. The goal was to turn the empty tower into a modern place. It would have many uses. The plan was to divide the building into three parts. The "Tower" part would have offices on 26 floors. The "Podium" part would have flexible office spaces. The "Street" level would have places to eat, shop, and have fun.
The aim was to make the building meet today's standards. The planning application was sent to Manchester City Council in late June 2025. It included a large restaurant on levels 25 and 26. There were also plans for an outdoor terrace, a business lounge, and shared workspaces on level seven.
See also
- Building-integrated photovoltaics
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Manchester-M60
