MediacityUK crowned building of the year
A Salford site wins building building of the year at a ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel, 
Manchester.
The newly erected MediaCityUK site in Salford has been announced as this year’s winner of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce building of the year award.
The 200 acre MediaCityUK situated at Salford Quays held off strong competition from the Greater Manchester Police North Manchester Divisional Headquarters in Newton Heath, the newly restored Ordsall Hall in Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University Business School and Student Hub building.
The winner was announced by Sir Howard Bernstein at the Chamber’s property and construction dinner held last Friday night at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester city centre.
Phil Cusack, vice president of the Chamber and chair of its property and construction committee, said: “This development makes a statement about our city region.
“It is of national economic significance and it shows the world that here in Greater Manchester we are capable of delivering best in class, whether it is in development expertise, public sector vision, functional design or construction delivery.
“MediaCityUK will contribute to the economic well-being of Salford, Manchester and the region for generations to come. This award recognises its importance in terms of the immense contribution it is already making,” he added.
The development is made up of television studios, apartments and a hotel.
This is the second award the building has won in the last couple of months, it previously picked up the Carbuncle Cup awarded by the magazine Building Design, a prize given to Britain’s ‘ugliest building’.
Judge for the award Hugh Pearman said of the win: “If you’re going to spend £600m on a complete city district that is also the home of one of the nation’s leading cultural institutions as well as other high-profile media and university tenants then it’s a bit of a shame not to pay more attention to the quality of the architecture.
It would have cost very little more to make this place really special,” he added.