Buttress Architects has revealed comprehensive housing plans for the site where the award-winning Centenary Building once stood in Salford, England. The 30-year-old structure, which had remained vacant for nearly a decade, was demolished to make way for a major redevelopment project supported by the University of Salford, Salford City Council, and the English City Fund (ECF). University officials confirmed that the building was torn down in accordance with approved demolition permits as new development plans for the area north of the Farmer Norton parking lot were submitted.
The demolished Centenary Building, originally designed by Hodder Associates, was completed in 1995 and made architectural history the following year by becoming the inaugural winner of the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize. The structure was praised as a dynamic, modern, and sophisticated example of steel, glass, and concrete construction. Initially designed to house the School of Electrical Engineering, the building's purpose was changed during construction to serve as the Faculty of Art and Design Technology.
Despite vigorous opposition from environmental activists and a failed attempt by The Twentieth Century Society, a heritage preservation group, to have the landmark building officially listed for protection, Salford City Council approved the university and ECF's prior approval application for demolition just before Christmas last year. The controversial decision sparked significant debate within the architectural and preservation communities.
Buttress's new proposal, called Old Adelphi, is strategically positioned within the broader Adelphi Village residential community, which is planned to include approximately 800 homes east of the River Irwell. This development represents one of several zones that comprise the ambitious $2.5 billion, 240-acre Crescent Salford masterplan, which aims to deliver more than 3,000 homes in total across the area.
The Old Adelphi scheme features a diverse mix of residential options, including one, two, and three-bedroom apartments and duplexes spread across three separate buildings. These structures will rise to five and six stories in height and will be located directly across from the Willohaus development, which consists of 100 Passivhaus apartments currently under construction. The design emphasizes modern living standards while maintaining compatibility with the surrounding urban landscape.
Lawrence Myatt, senior project manager at the English City Fund, emphasized the long-term vision behind the development. "Through Crescent Salford, we're creating communities that are built to last, and this next stage of Adelphi Village will deliver a diverse mix of homes to meet the needs of people in Salford," Myatt explained. He noted that the proposed homes on the now-cleared site have been specifically designed with sustainability, wellbeing, inclusivity, and community engagement as core principles.
Stephen Hodder, founder of Hodder Associates and the original architect of the demolished Centenary Building, expressed strong disappointment with the decision to tear down the structure rather than adapt it for community use. Speaking when demolition plans first emerged last November, Hodder described receiving the news with "great dismay." He emphasized that his opposition wasn't based on nostalgia or personal attachment to the building that launched his firm's reputation.
"This is not borne out of nostalgia, it being the inaugural RIBA Stirling Prize winner, nor indeed the importance of the building to the development of our practice, but as an original signatory to Architects Declare and past chair of the Construction Industry Council's Climate Change Committee, I simply cannot support the demolition of a building that is only 30 years old," Hodder stated. He criticized the university's decision as contradictory to its stated sustainability commitments, saying, "For a university that promotes its sustainability credentials, the intention to demolish surely undermines the credibility of its policy."
If Salford City Council grants approval for Buttress's Old Adelphi development, construction is scheduled to begin in spring of next year. The project represents a significant transformation of the site from an award-winning institutional building to modern residential housing, reflecting broader trends in urban redevelopment and the ongoing debate between preservation and progress in contemporary architecture.
