This extraordinary spaceship-like structure is turning heads at one of the gateways to Manchester city centre. Work is gathering pace on new £186m arts and cultural centre The Factory which is now visible after scaffolding came down.
It can be spied by those walking into the city along Quay Street and Liverpool Road, as well as driving past along the busy ring road. The Factory sits on the banks of the River Irwell as part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Old Granada Studios site in the city.
It is billed as a landmark new cultural space, and will commission, produce and present new work from the "world's most exciting artists". With an unusual design said to be inspired by Manchester's "unmatched history of invention" it is already turning heads with its dramatic structure that currently looks a little like a robot head.
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When the site is fully complete, it will boast a huge outdoor palazzo where people will be able to eat, drink and admire both the building and the riverside setting.
It sits within the rapidly-growing St John's district of the city centre which is planned to become a new "cultural and digital hub" for the region. Designed by internationally-renowned architects Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), The Factory development is being led by Manchester City Council, with backing from the Government and Arts Council England.
The building sits opposite the Ordsall Chord, with plans eventually for pedestrians to access it from a footbridge here. There will also be access routes from Water Street, where it neighbours the V&A Hotel, and through from the Old Granada Studios site.
Manchester International Festival will operate The Factory, as well as delivering the citywide MIF festival every other year - with the next event set for 2023. The first big announcement regarding The Factory is due to take place later this month at an event for invited guests at the neighbouring Science + Industry Museum.
The building work is said to be on course for opening in "early 2023". The completed space, which spans to 13,350 square metres will enable large-scale artistic work of "invention and ambition that isn’t made anywhere else in the world" according to bosses.
They say they will be primed to host everything from major exhibitions to epic concerts, to intimate performances and immersive experiences, including dance, theatre, music, opera, visual arts, popular culture and innovative contemporary work incorporating the latest digital technologies.
MIF bosses will work with local, national and international co-producers to premiere major new work, before it travels globally. The hope is that the centre will attract up to 850,000 visitors annually, adding £1.1 billion to the regional economy over a decade.
It will create 1,500 direct and indirect job, while a pioneering programme of skills, training and engagement is aimed to benefit local people and the next generation of creative talent from across the city, whilst apprenticeships and trainee schemes are already underway during the construction phase.
The arts project has previously hit the headlines after initial costs ballooned from £110m to £186m, and the opening pushed back from 2019 to 2023 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But work has been steadily progressing, and audiences got their first look inside the building at the 2021 MIF festival. At that point the interiors were used for the arts event Arcadia where glowing tents were set up inside.
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