Whether you joke or not, that is indeed the claim by Populus.
'A nod to the mancunian industrial heritage' is what they said.
'The use of red bricks is carefully taken into consideration to complete the palette of the City Square. Mimicking the material of Victorian Mancunian docks and warehouse buildings, the brick also adds warmth and emphasises the human scale in and around the city square'
As above, in their own words, it 'softens' the square.
I myself think brick is far better than most cladding products available, coming to ground level for robustness longevity and general experience, wehere that many people would gather. The colour choice aside.