Co-Operative Insurance Society (Cis) Building

CO-OPERATIVE INSURANCE SOCIETY (CIS) BUILDING

The CIS Building is a major 20th-century commercial complex in Manchester, comprising a 26-storey steel-framed main tower, a 28-storey reinforced concrete service tower, and a 5-storey reinforced concrete podium block. The buildings are located on a large plot bounded by Miller Street to the north-east, Dantzic Street to the north-west, Hanover Street to the south-west, and a car park to the south-east.

Exterior and Materials

The building employs glass curtain-walling with black vitreous enamelled-steel panels between floor levels and anodised aluminium mullions, chosen specifically to resist Manchester's polluted atmosphere at the time of construction. All windows and glazing are protected with shatterproof film. The main tower rises symmetrically from the north-eastern end of the podium block, projecting over the first two floors and the main entrance. The service tower is attached to the centre of the main tower's south-west side, forming a squat T-shape plan.

The 400-foot-high service tower is clad with 14 million grey Italian mosaic tiles, which began to fail shortly after construction and were over-clad with photovoltaic panels in 2005; these panels are not of special interest. The service tower incorporates two deep bands of vents and carries large signage letters spelling 'CIS' and 'Co-operative Insurance' at its top. A large plant room occupies most of the podium block's roof. The main entrance is set into the north-east side of the main tower beneath a canopy supported by six columns, with an additional flat-roofed canopy in front. The original revolving and swing doors have been replaced with modern glazed entrance doors.

Interior and Planning

The building employs modular planning with open-plan design to the lower floors, though original partitioning has since been removed or replaced with modern divisions. The executive floors were partitioned from the outset. Core services—passenger and goods lifts, stairs, toilets and ventilation ducts—are centralised in the service tower, enabling the open-plan layout.

The building was one of the first large commercial buildings in England to be fully air-conditioned, using the same system as the Empire State Building in New York, installed by US engineers. Though updated in later decades, the original system survives in place. The podium block is served by escalators with original banded ceiling lighting, though the escalators themselves have been replaced. A Telelift document conveyor, which replaced the original Westinghouse American system, is also located in the service tower. The building's dog-leg stairs have simple metal balustrades.

Original suspended ceilings have been largely replaced throughout, and most original furnishings (many made by the CWS) and partitions have been removed, though some built-in units survive on the executive levels. Original inter-changeable interior signage by DRU and most original lighting have been removed.

Main Entrance Hall

The large main-entrance hall has a Cornish granite floor with walls clad in white Sicilian marble. Columns originally clad in black metal have been re-clad in marble. Escalators and lifts are now accessed via modern security turnstiles and gates. The hall's rear right wall features a 30-by-12-foot abstract sculptured fibreglass mural by William G. Mitchell, cast against a polystyrene mould with a bronze patinated finish, splashed with ammonia to create green-coloured highlights. The ground floor also contains a board members' garage and former branch office (now subdivided), which are not of special interest.

Recreation Room

The large recreation room on the top floor of the podium block, now used as office space, originally served multiple functions including ballroom, conference hall and cinema. It retains a sprung dance floor hidden beneath later covering and has walls clad in elm with a replaced ceiling. A brightly-coloured plastic laminate mural by Barry Daniels of DANAD Design Associates occupies the south-west wall. An original glazed folding screen separates the room from a bar lounge area with tinted mirrored ceiling and replaced bar. A small stage originally stood in front.

Executive Levels

The 23rd and 24th floors constitute the executive levels. The 23rd floor contains open reception areas and partitioned rooms including a board room, committee rooms and executive suite, with white formica and teak-veneer panelled walls incorporating vertical blue-green roughcast-glass strips adjacent to original doors as side lights. The 24th floor, originally the executive dining rooms, has cherry-veneer wall panelling and original folding screens allowing the space to be opened for functions.

Observation Floor

The 25th floor, originally the observation floor, was an open-plan space for viewing the city and relaxing. It originally contained afrormosia bench seating, planters and a greenhouse, all since removed; it is now used as office space. Horizontal viewing windows are incorporated in the upper walls, and the space is lit by two large pyramidal skylights at each end, though the original glass ceilings beneath have been removed.

Basement Levels

The building has three basement levels, one providing tunnel access to the nearby New Century House. The uppermost basement contains a large cafeteria and kitchens, extensively altered and not of special interest; original wall cladding, mosaic cladding to columns and original metal-louvred ceiling have all been removed. The sub-basement levels contain plant and control rooms, storage space and a space intended as an air-raid shelter; the original control rooms with original control panels survive.