IMAGES + VIDEO | Tallest tower outside London tops out

Manchester’s new tallest building, the South Tower within Renaker’s Deansgate Square cluster, has reached its highest point, at 200.5 metres or 67 storeys.

Designed by SimpsonHaugh, South Tower contains 496 apartments, and is the second building to reach full height at the site, which was formerly known as Owen Street. The first tower to top out was West Tower, at 47 storeys.

Construction of a third building is also under way. When complete, Deansgate Square will be made up of four buildings, totalling 1,500 homes.

A topping out ceremony was held yesterday to celebrate South Tower reaching its full height. It is now the fifth tallest building in the UK, and all the others are in London.

View across Manchester from top of South Tower

By comparison, Beetham Tower, which for several years held the crown as Manchester’s tallest building, is 169 metres tall.

Renaker’s chief executive Daren Whitaker invited Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese to place the final concrete into the top of the structure.

At the ceremony, Whitaker said: “Deansgate Square is a ground-breaking development bringing new levels of sophistication and unrivalled residents’ facilities to the heart of Manchester city centre.

“The topping out of the South Tower is a significant moment on this project – which, when completed, will deliver over 2.3 million sq ft of aspirational new real estate.”

The four towers range in height from 38 to 67 storeys.

Deansgate Square will also incorporate 2.7 acres of public realm and landscaping including a riverside plaza and a 0.8-acre public square for markets or event space supported by 16,000 sq ft food and retail units. The whole development is set to complete in 2021.

View a timelapse of the construction of South Tower from 1 min 18 in the below video