Award win for Hexagon Tower’s anodised aluminium façade

Hexagon Tower in Manchester has been declared the winner of the Best Use of a Rainscreen System using Aluminium at the Façade Awards 2025, following a successful renovation project completed in November 2024.

The awards celebrate the best façade projects and talents in the UK, putting a spotlight on innovation and excellence. It’s the pinnacle for all businesses involved with façade work, and this year’s ceremony at Manchester’s Midland Hotel was another fantastic night for the sector.

Hexagon Tower was an appropriate victor given that it is a North Manchester landmark. It’s one of the city’s finest examples of Modernist architecture and was a worthy home winner on the night.

Victoria Watts, Sales Director at United Anodisers said, "This award matters to us because it recognises what anodised aluminium can do for a building like this one. Hexagon Tower is a North Manchester landmark, and the brief was an unusual one: modernise the façade without losing the geometry that gives the tower its name.

"The architects, Corstophine & Wright, considered every detail to honour the building's rhythm and geometry, from the earliest prototypes with Gilmours to the final install by Design Build Facade. That is exactly how it felt to work on. Our 100A Natural Silver finish had to follow the original contours closely and hold up for decades, and getting there took real collaboration between us all.

"To see that work win on home turf in the North West is something we are all proud of."

Hundreds of years of innovation history

Designed by Richard Seifert in 1973, the tower is the successor to hundreds of years of science and technology innovation history on the site.

British Dyestuffs and Imperial Chemical Industries have called what is now Hexagon Tower home in the past. Now, the Tower is part of the Business Environments for Science and Technology (BEST) Network of science parks and hosts a range of cutting-edge firms from small SMEs to multi-national giants.

The building is extremely important to the local area and our shared story of industrial innovation – and the design reflected that. The complicated geometric features that give the tower its name are a fine example of Modernist architecture to match the forward-facing work that goes on inside.

However, more than 50 years since construction was completed, the building needed an award-winning renovation to bring it up to scratch and make it fit for the 21^st century.

Modernising heritage without losing what makes it special

Hexagon Tower is a non-designated heritage asset, so when the time came to renovate the façade, there were unusual constraints to take into account. Whatever new building envelope was installed could not compromise the features of the original building.

That meant the new façade had to have a slim profile, but still offer all the required aesthetic and sustainability upgrades the tower required to make it modern once again. Anodised aluminium offered the best of all worlds for the architect, Corstorphine & Wright. It is lightweight, strong, visually striking, and versatile enough to suit a complex design and installation.

It proved to be a combination which delivered at the FaçadeAwards 2025 – and it also provides other benefits for occupants beyond simple aesthetic excellence.

A sustainable, future-proof building

The anodised aluminium façade at Hexagon Tower isn’t just a beautiful addition to the building. It’s also responsible for future-proofing the tower and making sure it is a healthy, resilient space for decades to come.

Heating energy usage and operational carbon emissions have both been reduced by up to 80% since the installation of the new façade. The savings on heating alone will also ensure capital payback on the project within 10 years. Hexagon Tower is environmentally and fiscally resilient for the future.

In total, it is estimated that the building’s lifespan has been extended by at least another 60 years. That is a significant long-term sustainability benefit on top of the short-term energy usage and carbon improvements.

It is also another reason why the Hexagon Tower renovation project won the award for Best Use of a Rainscreen System using Aluminium at the Façade Awards 2025.

This is an anodised aluminium system which is not just there for aesthetic purposes. It’s also an integral part of the building’s plan for the next 60 years.

Want to learn more about anodised aluminium panels? Contact the team today to request your free sample!