No 1 City Square, Leeds

I lived in Leeds 1984-1987, and there's a bit of me that never left.

This building works well viewed from ground level, maybe less so in this shot from an adjacent tower block. In the 80's the spot where I am stood, taking this photo, was an office where people worked. Now it is a hotel room. Progress.

No 1 City Square wasn't this building back then, either. It was the old Norwich Union office block, widely regarded as the ugliest in Leeds. Rightly demolished, it was replaced by this building (by Aedas Architects) in 96-97. At street level it's got some interestingly art-deco details, at a scale just big enough to be inhuman. Reminds me of Milano Central rail station for some reason. Nice atrium at the front though.