the 'b of the bang' before (left) and after (right)
image courtesy of manchester evening news / paul heyes and steve allen

the 'b of the bang', was constructed by thomas heatherwick of heatherwick studio as part of the
regeneration strategy for manchester's eastern quarter for the 2002 commonwealth games.
located next to the eastland's stadium, the 56-metre weathering steel structure made from
180 identical tapering tubes, arranged in twenty-four elliptical groupings of between one
and nine spikes, was meant to act as a new beginning, representing a burst of energy,
like an athlete emerging out of the blocks. however, after a short life, city councillors have decided it
needed to be taken down, so now all that remains of the original 56m structure is its steel core.
they have seen the sculpture as an expensive endeavour and a bit of a safety hazard.
instead, the remaining pieces of britain's tallest public artwork will be kept in storage until
city officials decided what to do with it.


180 hollow spikes were used to construct the 56m high sculpture
image courtesy of heatherwick studio


'b of the bank' was located next to manchester city's eastlands stadium
image courtesy of heatherwick studio


an image of 'b of the bang's' construction back in 2002
image courtesy of heatherwick studio


the spikes bursting into the landscape
image courtesy of heatherwick studio