Barnes Wallis Building
Encyclopedia
The Barnes Wallis Building/Wright Robinson Hall is a university building in central Manchester
. It forms part of the campus of the former University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, which merged in 2004 with the nearby Victoria University of Manchester
.
It is unusual in that the two parts of the building have different names and different uses, despite the fact that the building is a single structure, purpose built by a single architect. It was built in 1963/4 and the architect was W.A.Gibbon of Cruikshank & Seward. The building faces across a green space at the centre of campus towards the Renold Building
, which was designed by the same architect and constructed the previous year. According to the Pevsner Architectural Guides: "Its scale and form was designed to relate to the earlier building. It is all white concrete. The vertical stabbing funnel on the roof is designed to light the stairs."
The low-rise structure facing onto the green space at the centre of the campus is the Barnes Wallis Building, named after the pioneering aircraft designer Sir Barnes Wallis
. This once housed the main campus refectory (closed June 2009), and until 2004 it was also home to UMIST Students' Association. It is now used by the merged University of Manchester Students' Union
with a print shop, bar and shop. The building has for decades been a central part of student life.
The naming of internal parts of the building was for many years a good indicator of the current political balance of the UMIST Student Union. The Large Assembly Hall was at times called the Lenin Assembly Hall. Conversely, the Small Assembly Hall was at other times named the Sharansky Assembly Hall, after Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky
.
The 15 storey high-rise part of the structure is called Wright Robinson Hall
, and is a student hall of residence.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. It forms part of the campus of the former University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, which merged in 2004 with the nearby Victoria University of Manchester
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
.
It is unusual in that the two parts of the building have different names and different uses, despite the fact that the building is a single structure, purpose built by a single architect. It was built in 1963/4 and the architect was W.A.Gibbon of Cruikshank & Seward. The building faces across a green space at the centre of campus towards the Renold Building
Renold Building
The Renold Building is a university building in Manchester. It was opened on November 23, 1962 for the Manchester College of Science and Technology as part of a major expansion of its campus in the 1960s. The architect was W.A.Gibbon of the firm of Cruikshank and Seward. The foundation stone was...
, which was designed by the same architect and constructed the previous year. According to the Pevsner Architectural Guides: "Its scale and form was designed to relate to the earlier building. It is all white concrete. The vertical stabbing funnel on the roof is designed to light the stairs."
The low-rise structure facing onto the green space at the centre of the campus is the Barnes Wallis Building, named after the pioneering aircraft designer Sir Barnes Wallis
Barnes Wallis
Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, CBE FRS, RDI, FRAeS , was an English scientist, engineer and inventor. He is best known for inventing the bouncing bomb used by the RAF in Operation Chastise to attack the dams of the Ruhr Valley during World War II...
. This once housed the main campus refectory (closed June 2009), and until 2004 it was also home to UMIST Students' Association. It is now used by the merged University of Manchester Students' Union
University of Manchester Students' Union
The University of Manchester Students' Union is the representative body of students at the University of Manchester, England, and is the UK's largest students' union...
with a print shop, bar and shop. The building has for decades been a central part of student life.
The naming of internal parts of the building was for many years a good indicator of the current political balance of the UMIST Student Union. The Large Assembly Hall was at times called the Lenin Assembly Hall. Conversely, the Small Assembly Hall was at other times named the Sharansky Assembly Hall, after Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky was born in Stalino, Soviet Union on 20 January 1948 to a Jewish family. He graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. As a child, he was a chess prodigy. He performed in simultaneous and blindfold displays, usually against...
.
The 15 storey high-rise part of the structure is called Wright Robinson Hall
Wright Robinson Hall
Wright Robinson Hall is a hall of residence of TheUniversity of Manchester, very close to Manchester Piccadilly station in Manchester. It was a flagship hall of UMIST and became a University of Manchester hall when UMIST and Victoria University of Manchester merged into The University of...
, and is a student hall of residence.