Mathematics Tower, Manchester facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mathematics Building
Maths Tower
The Maths Tower in 2005
General information
Status	Demolished
Type	Academic
Architectural style	Modernist-brutalism
Location	Manchester, England
Completed	1968
Demolished	2005
Owner	Victoria University of Manchester (1968–2004) University of Manchester (2004–06)
Height	75 m (246 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	18
Design and construction
Architect	Scherrer & Hicks

The Mathematics Building was a tall university building in Manchester, England. It was home to the Maths Department of the Victoria University of Manchester and later the University of Manchester. It was used from 1968 until 2004. The building had a three-story base and a very tall 18-story tower. The tower was about 75 meters (246 feet) high! It was designed by local architects Scherrer and Hicks. The building showed off two popular styles from the 1960s: Brutalism and International Style Modernism. It was taken down in 2005 because the maths department moved to a new building.

Building Design

The Mathematics Building was finished in 1968. It was designed by a local company called Scherrer and Hicks. The tower had two very different sides. The west side looked like a strong concrete wall, which is typical of Brutalist architecture. The east side was covered in windows that stuck out at different angles.

These two sides showed off the popular building styles of the time. Modernism used smooth glass walls. Brutalism was known for using lots of raw concrete.

Why the Building Was Demolished

In 2004, two universities joined together to form the new University of Manchester. The new university decided to update its campus buildings. The Maths Tower was then thought to be "unfit for purpose," meaning it was no longer suitable for what it was used for.

Some people were sad to hear the tower would be taken down. They hoped it could be fixed up and used in the future. A magazine called Urban Realm even praised the Maths Tower. They said it was a bright and interesting building on a campus that often looked plain. They wrote that "almost all the university buildings of the last forty years" lacked imagination. They felt the Maths Tower was one of the few with "grace and scale."

The School of Mathematics moved to temporary buildings first. They also used the Maths and Social Sciences Building for a while. Later, in 2007, they moved into a brand new place called the Alan Turing Building.

Today, a new building called University Place stands where the Maths Tower used to be. It is a large, round building that cost £55 million. It has many lecture halls inside. Another building, 17 New Wakefield Street, was finished in 2012. It has some design features that look a bit like the old Maths Tower.