Brook, R., 2021.

Levelling Up: The Aerial Environments of Wilson Womersley

Lambasted and lost, pretty much characterises the architectural output of Wilson Womersley in Manchester; the city that spawned their partnership. In a bombastic blast of red, grey and yellow, the firm designed the University Precinct Centre (1967-72), Hulme Crescents (1965-71) and the Arndale Centre (1972-79). In the space of a decade they shaped Manchester's urban fabric, leaving a questionable legacy. The technical quality of their buildings was undoubtedly poor, but their qualities - bold forms, monolithic materiality and streets-in-the-sky - were of the moment, and captured a particular brand of urban renewal, imported from North America and inflected through British post-war planning.