Beetham Tower

Beetham Tower is a skyscraper in Manchester, England. It is 169 metres tall, the tallest building in Manchester, and the tallest in the United Kingdom, outside of London.

History
The building was constructed in a three year period from 2003 to 2006. The building opened in 2006 as a Hilton Hotel, and a block of apartments. The building is relatively slim for it's size with a 16:8 ratio of slimness. The building has also been designed to sway slightly in winds in order to prevent foundation subsidence.

Noise incident
The building is also known to emit a low humming or buzzing sound during high winds which can be heard around the Manchester city centre. The building is not supposed to make such sound, according to the architect. The noise was first noticed in 2006, just weeks after the building opened.The decorative steel blade on the top of the building is the cause of the noise. When the wind blows into the small gaps in the blade, it creates a tuning fork effect, with the force of the wind striking the blade and making the noise. The noise affects production of the soap opera, Coronation Street, with the actors forcing to wait for the noise to die down.

There has been some several attempts to stop the noise, but all have failed. Foam padding was placed on the blade, but this made the noise worse, which now turned it into a crackling buzzing sound. The architect said that the people living near the tower should cope with the noise, as all attempts to stop it have failed. In 2012, high winds caused very loud humming, and the architect apologised. In 2014, the sound confused several birds, mistaking the sound for their safety call, so they all flocked on the blade. They later flew away when the noise died down. In 2015, Storm Clodagh made landfall on Manchester, and the freak winds made the blade make a very loud crackling buzzing sound. The architect then said that if the noise persists during the storm season, then there might be considerations to remove the steel blade.