Central Library named Building of the Year

MANCHESTER’S refurbished Central Library has been named the Building of the Year by the city’s chamber of commerce.

The library re-opened in March after a three-year £50m refurbishment.

The judges at the chamber’s annual awards said the renovation of one of the city’s “crown jewels” had made it a “superb asset”.

It was up against the new office block One St Peter’s Square, Manchester City Football Club Academy, and Citylabs which has been constructed around the former Royal Eye Hospital building in Oxford Road.

Mike Gibson, chair of the chamber’s property and construction committee, who hosted the event, said: “The attention to detail in preserving the historic character of the building is matched by the fine updating of the library’s facilities, making it a superb asset for the inhabitants of a 21st century city.”

The Construction Apprentice of the Year Award, sponsored by Forrest, went to Stephen Timoney, 25, from Stockport, who is a building maintenance apprentice at B4Box.

Around 400 people attended the event last night at the Hilton Hotel.