Manning & Associates

Manning & Associates Architects Ltd (BN: 9429039194510) was formed in 1990 and dissolved in 2013. For a time the firm practiced as Manning Mitchell, while David Mitchell was a partner.

Jack Manning was the architect of the Majestic Centre. Talking to John Walsh about the project in 2011, Manning recalled: "I was working at that stage ... with Primac Holdings when they did the Majestic Building ... The Majestic Centre was a really good attempt by Primac to do a landmark building ...

My own feeling was that I wanted to make this a contribution to the identity of the city, a lot like some of the New York skyscrapers. I was very interested in getting a relationship between Willis Street and the building and so the podium is hard up along the Willis Street boundary and the tower, which is set back from the top of the triangle, has got the same material as the podium – sort of red granite – and it faces and fronts onto that street. The entry to the tower is further up in Boulcott Street but we also brought in an atrium that came in from Willis Street. It got you up by means of escalators to the tower foyer."

Several public artworks were commissioned for this multi-level public space including those by Paul Hartigan and Neil Dawson.

See also:

• Architecture Now | Revisited: Jack Manning’s Gold Medal interview, by John Walsh.