This UK city could become the fourth-tallest in Europe

The north’s cultural powerhouse is having a growth spurt. New research reckons there are now 26 buildings in Manchester that are at least 100m tall. That’s nearly 30 Big Bens’ worth of steel, glass, and pure northern ambition, making the  a strong contender for Europe’s fourth-tallest city.

Paris and Frankfurt brace for impact – there’s some big competition in store. The report, which is by construction analysts Barbour ABI, says Manchester could loom over both cities with its forthcoming high-rise building developments, boasting more than 200 towers over 50m tall.

The city is projected to rise in the ranks from its position as the seventh-tallest European city, brushing shoulders with metropolitan mammoths Moscow, Istanbul, and London. 

Some of the most anticipated building developments include Hotel Piccadilly, a 34-storey hotel with a rooftop bar and sedum roof, and Viadux Phase 2, a two-year project beginning in May this year, consisting of 915 apartments in a 76-storey tower. Viadux Phase 2 (pictured up top) is set to rise to become the UK’s tallest residential building outside of London, redefining Manchester’s iconic skyline.

In Barbour ABI’s High Rise Construction Market Report 2026-2030, the company’s head of business and client analytics Ed Griffiths said: ‘While London still anchors the tall-building scene by height, it is no longer the whole story.’ 

This surge of high-rise development projects reflects a national vertical boom. Currently, there are almost 1,000 high-rise projects underway outside of London – as well as several significant developments planned for in the capital. Get a glimpse of what the City of London will look like in 2032 here.

Did you see that one of the UK's most famous historic city squares will finally reopen in September after a £20 million glow-up?

Plus: inside plans for a vast new public transport network in northern England.

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