National Cycling Centre, Manchester, UK

The UK's National Cycling Centre in Manchester was officially opened in September 1994. The critical design feature of the National Cycling Centre is that it was developed from the inside out to suit the requirements of the track, a process that influenced to a greater or lesser degree every element of the structure of the building. The impact of this was particularly significant with regard to the detailed design and fabrication of the roof, where structural and aesthetic considerations required equal attention. The use of steel to build the roof offered the architect and the engineer the flexibility and creativity they required to best articulate these demands.