Brutalist Tower over Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester

2 October 2019 · Manchester

A tall brutalist slab rises from the edge of Piccadilly Gardens, its vertical face pushed flat against a hazy, backlit sky. The sun sits just off the tower's shoulder, throwing a hard glare across the wet plaza below. Pigeons pick across the puddled pavement while pedestrians lean against the bridge rail — the city going about its business under a building that refuses to be ignored. Strong vertical geometry earns its place at street level through the reflection it casts, not just the height it claims.