Manchester is an architectural capital now. But are we also destroying our heritage?

A new book and a soon-to-be-released report tell different stories about what we're building

Dear members — today’s edition is about buildings, but it isn’t about Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete or RAAC, the material that has thrown school timetables into chaos and the government into crisis.

We’ve got a thoughtful piece about the new buildings that have gone up — and are going up apace — all around us. Phil Griffin, who has been writing about architecture for many years, has been reading two new sources: first, a book about the new buildings that have been built in Manchester and Salford this century; and second, a copy of a report that comes out this weekend which argues that we are trashing our architectural heritage in favour of bland new towers.

As Phil writes, “Not since the Victorian splurge of railway stations, law courts and town halls, Edwardian concoctions of shopping emporia and public houses, have Manchester and Salford seen such relentless fidgeting behind so many fancy hoardings.” But are the new buildings any good? Scroll down to read that and then plea…