Since 2014, Urban Enthusiasts from around the world have been taking place in the annual CTBUH Global Walking Tour. The tours take place with a specific annual theme and are held generally on the same day.
The 2022 Waking Tour was the ninth annual walk and included 12 cities: Auckland, Sydney, Taipei, Shanghai, Sofia, Cape Town, London, Manchester, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, and Los Angeles. The progress of the tours could be tracked on social media with the hashtag #CTBUHwalks as they made their way from Auckland westward to North America.
The theme of this year's walk was 'Height and Heritage' and took place on Friday 14 October 2022. It was amazing to see Manchester included this year and SimpsonHaugh were extremely proud to host it.
Phil Griffin, architectural commentator and long-term collaborator and friend of SimpsonHaugh, led the tour around the city. With expansive knowledge of the industrial heritage of the city, Phil was the perfect choice to guide the group around some of the most significant buildings relevant to this year's theme of 'Height and Heritage'.
The tour began with a presentation delivered by Phil at the Skylounge - the 28th floor of City Tower. As a significant building within the context of height and heritage, this was an appropriate location to begin the tour. Completed in 1965 and sitting at 30-storeys in the Piccadilly Gardens area, City Tower is the tallest office building in Manchester and outside of London. Offering impressive views of the city, the Skylounge was the perfect place to hear about the evolution of Manchester's skyline and to start our celebration of the city's heritage.
Once we set out into the city, other significant locations of the tour included MediaCityUK, the CIS Tower, the Civil Justice Centre, Spinningfields, Sunlight House, Castlefield and Beetham Tower. We ended the tour at Deansgate Square for a final celebration.
The event was not only a great opportunity to learn about the rich history of Manchester and Salford and celebrate the built environment on a global scale, but also to socialise with like-minded professionals from across the industry.
For more information about the Global Walking Tour, visit the CTBUH Website.