I understand Lewis Womersley and Hugh Wilson designed the Arndale almond with the university precinct and the Hulme crescents amongst other notable mancunian buildings.
I'm gonna stick my neck out now and I'm fully prepared for the onslaught that might follow but a few of us love the Arndale, hotel Piccadilly and some of the other 60's icons dotted around. I'm in my 30's and buildings such as the Arndale have defined the city centre for us. Yes bill Bryson described it as the worlds biggest public toilet but its our public toilet. Some people hate the hotel Piccadilly but I have fond memories of sitting in the restaurant as a kid, watching the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly below. The Arndale was a wonderland to us as kids too. Maybe it's a generational thing but I really feel that just ripping down one building only to replace it with something I'm glass and steel that could be in anywhereville isn't progress at all. Lets celebrate what we have and celebrate it for what it is. Maybe not to everyone's taste but surely cladding it in fashionable modern clothes is denying the history of a building and its roots in local culture?
We are blessed in Manchester with an architectural legacy that many cities would be proud of whether it be a Victorian pile or a slender concrete structure. We wouldn't rip the central library or the midland hotel down (yes they are listed for very good reason) yet we seem happy to demolish pretty much anything from the 60's. take a look at the new architecture being built in the city centre. The best examples owe a debt of gratitude to their 60's forebears..