The Disciplinary Development of University Buildings: Medicine and Manchester

Abstract

Medical and architectural histories have often focused on hospitals as the dominant sites for understanding the practices and performance of medical ideas and their relationship to physical spaces. However, the architecture of medical school buildings has been largely absent from these accounts. This article attempts to address that gap by viewing medicine's institutional and disciplinary history through the physical spaces provided for medical education and research in a university environment. Herein, the changes in medical school architecture are seen as providing a means for understanding institutional, disciplinary and societal change. In particular, this article examines the medical school buildings at the University of Manchester in order to appreciate evolving medical knowledge and practise, pedagogical change and the relationship between medicine and society. This paper focuses on three building projects for medical education and research at the University. First, the University's original medical school building, which was completed in 1874, and second, its significant extension completed in 1894. Third, the 20 th century replacement, built in 1973, which still functions as the University's medical school.