en.Wedoany.com Reported - Manchester City Council has approved Hawkins Brown's downsized design for the Manchester Metropolitan University library. Councillors voted last Friday to approve the new library scheme, six months after the university submitted its planning application.

The original £90 million plan to replace the university's All Saints Library, a 13-storey building with a distinctive sawtooth design punctuated by small circular windows, was approved last February. However, the university paused the scheme last year after acknowledging the library proposal was no longer viable. The revised proposal cuts four floors, reducing the floor area by nearly half. The university had previously stated that the original design was developed "before significant cost escalation in the construction industry."

Andrew Fallon, Chief Property Officer at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "The approval of plans for the new library marks a significant milestone. The library will be a landmark building that embodies our commitment to teaching excellence, world-class research, and a more connected and vibrant campus experience for all. It signals an inspiring new chapter in delivering the University's ambitions and future campus masterplan – bringing our vision to life in a way that will shape generations to come."

The new library will replace the existing All Saints building, creating a purpose-built, digitally-enabled facility designed to support learning, research, and collaboration. Under the plans, part of the existing All Saints building will be retained and refurbished, and the university says the library will feature bright internal spaces, flexible study areas, new green spaces, improved pedestrian routes, and welcoming social areas.

Turner & Townsend is acting as project manager and cost consultant. The project team retains planning consultant Deloitte, landscape architect Planit, and Buro Happold, which is fulfilling multiple roles including structural/civil engineer, façade engineer, MEP engineer, and fire engineer.

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