Canada House 3 Chepstow Street Manchester

The framed construction is revealed by the extensive glazed elevations, with the more public façades being clad in elaborate buff terra cotta employing a wide range of eclectic, classically inspired motifs with Art Nouveau iron work. The five major storeys meet the street line, with two attic storeys set back and revealing a more functional form. A comparison of the façade now facing towards Oxford Road with the three major façades reveals the different architectural approach to public and non-public faces of the building. Terra cotta is dispensed with to reveal a cast-iron frame of semi-recessed octagonal columns, defining three window wide, five storey high bays of unembellished sash windows. This façade’s functional language relates to the attic storeys and is surprisingly modern in feel. [Cube website]