There is a “lot of discontent” in the architectural community over the demolition, according to Eddy Rhead, director at the Manchester-based Modernist Society.
But there has been some criticism from the public of the building’s appearance and it lying empty all these years.
Responding to the news on social media, some people described the building as “ugly” and say “it should never have been built”, although others express dismay at how young it is.
“The public don’t cherish 20th Century buildings,” Mr Rhead says.
“It was in an unsexy part of Salford, which didn’t get much love.”
He adds: “In this day and age, we can’t keep demolishing and rebuilding – it can be reused.
“It’s lazy and unimaginative and, without sounding too dramatic, morally wrong for such a young building.”
Designed to the demands of a quick turnaround and a relatively cheap £4m budget by Manchester-based architect Stephen Hodder, the building was praised at the time for a “dynamic, modern and sophisticated exercise in steel, glass and concrete” by the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba).
The judges were so impressed they awarded it their inaugural Stirling Prize in 1996 for the UK’s best new building.
