Urbis in Cathedral Gardens in Manchester city centre was designed by Ian Simpson of SimpsonHaugh and Partners, with Martin Stockley Associates as consulting engineers. It opened on June 27, 2002. The Millennium Commission funded it with 30 million pounds, though another passage says 20 million, and Manchester City Council gave 1 million toward running costs. The article describes a distinctive sloping form.
The building has six stories, with exhibitions on five floors, in concrete and glass. The fully glazed facades use about 2,200 glass panes in horizontal strips. An adiabatic cooling system serves summer and a heat recovery system serves winter.
A lift runs to the top floor, with cascading mezzanine floors below.
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