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OMA fight off illustrious competition to design Manchester arts venue The Factory
POSTED 25 Nov 2015 . BY Kim Megson
The Factory will commission and host performances of theatre, music, dance, technology, film and TV Credit: OMA
Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has won an international competition to design a cutting-edge arts venue in the UK city of Manchester.

Nine internationally acclaimed architects – including Zaha Hadid Architecture, Mecanoo, Rafael Vinoly Architects and Diller Scofidio + Renfro – were shortlisted to design the flagship cultural centre, named The Factory.

The £110m (US$166m, €157m) large-scale venue – which takes its name from Factory Records, the Manchester music label which launched the careers of British bands Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays – will commission and host performances of theatre, music, dance, technology, film and TV.

Details about OMA’s design are currently thin on the ground, but new renderings show a bold cube-shaped structure clad in glass panels. There will be 2,200 seats and room for 5,000 standing visitors. Building work is expected to start in 2016 with work set to be completed by 2019.

The Factory will be OMA's first major public building in the UK. A “delighted’ Koolhaas – winner of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2000 – said: “I look forward to realising this radical arts building for Manchester. It is wonderful to participate in the longstanding renaissance of the city, where real experimentation is expected.”

The project will receive more than £75m (US$113m, €107m) from the UK government as part of its Northern Powerhouse initiative to transform the northern region into a “cultural and economic counterbalance” to London. Manchester City Council will develop the rest of the funding package.

Council leader Richard Leese said: “The importance of The Factory cannot be overstated. It will be of international significance, the cultural anchor for the next phase of economic and cultural regeneration in Manchester, Greater Manchester and beyond.”

The Factory will form a part of Manchester’s new St John's neighbourhood, which is being developed by Allied London in partnership with Manchester City Council on the site of the a former TV studio.

This 60,000sq m site (635,400sq ft) will form a new neighbourhood for people to live, work and create, and will include hotels, bars, restaurants, cultural facilities and extensive public realm and open green spaces.

OMA’s recent projects include the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow and the Fondazione Prada in Milan. Ongoing cultural developments include a performing arts centre in Taipei and a national art museum in Quebec, Canada.

The firm’s Interlace housing development in Singapore scooped the Building of the Year prize at this year’s World Architecture Festival.
The design visualises a bold cube-shaped structure clad in glass panels Credit: OMA
The Factory will be a dynamic cultural hub for the north of England Credit: OMA
The Factory will form a part of Manchester’s new St John's neighbourhood, which is being developed by Allied London in partnership with Manchester City Council on the site of the a former TV studio Credit: OMA
PROJECT PROFILE:

Manchester TV Studios Hotel Conversion
Developer Allied London has revealed plans to redevelop Manchester’s Granada Studios, the former home of Coronation Street, into an event hotel.

Location: Manchester , United Kingdom

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NEWS
OMA fight off illustrious competition to design Manchester arts venue The Factory
POSTED 25 Nov 2015 . BY Kim Megson
The Factory will commission and host performances of theatre, music, dance, technology, film and TV Credit: OMA
Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has won an international competition to design a cutting-edge arts venue in the UK city of Manchester.

Nine internationally acclaimed architects – including Zaha Hadid Architecture, Mecanoo, Rafael Vinoly Architects and Diller Scofidio + Renfro – were shortlisted to design the flagship cultural centre, named The Factory.

The £110m (US$166m, €157m) large-scale venue – which takes its name from Factory Records, the Manchester music label which launched the careers of British bands Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays – will commission and host performances of theatre, music, dance, technology, film and TV.

Details about OMA’s design are currently thin on the ground, but new renderings show a bold cube-shaped structure clad in glass panels. There will be 2,200 seats and room for 5,000 standing visitors. Building work is expected to start in 2016 with work set to be completed by 2019.

The Factory will be OMA's first major public building in the UK. A “delighted’ Koolhaas – winner of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2000 – said: “I look forward to realising this radical arts building for Manchester. It is wonderful to participate in the longstanding renaissance of the city, where real experimentation is expected.”

The project will receive more than £75m (US$113m, €107m) from the UK government as part of its Northern Powerhouse initiative to transform the northern region into a “cultural and economic counterbalance” to London. Manchester City Council will develop the rest of the funding package.

Council leader Richard Leese said: “The importance of The Factory cannot be overstated. It will be of international significance, the cultural anchor for the next phase of economic and cultural regeneration in Manchester, Greater Manchester and beyond.”

The Factory will form a part of Manchester’s new St John's neighbourhood, which is being developed by Allied London in partnership with Manchester City Council on the site of the a former TV studio.

This 60,000sq m site (635,400sq ft) will form a new neighbourhood for people to live, work and create, and will include hotels, bars, restaurants, cultural facilities and extensive public realm and open green spaces.

OMA’s recent projects include the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow and the Fondazione Prada in Milan. Ongoing cultural developments include a performing arts centre in Taipei and a national art museum in Quebec, Canada.

The firm’s Interlace housing development in Singapore scooped the Building of the Year prize at this year’s World Architecture Festival.
The design visualises a bold cube-shaped structure clad in glass panels Credit: OMA
The Factory will be a dynamic cultural hub for the north of England Credit: OMA
The Factory will form a part of Manchester’s new St John's neighbourhood, which is being developed by Allied London in partnership with Manchester City Council on the site of the a former TV studio Credit: OMA
RELATED STORIES
Iconic Manchester TV studios to become event hotel


Developer Allied London has revealed plans to redevelop Manchester’s Granada Studios, the former home of Coronation Street, into an event hotel.
MORE NEWS
Rainer Maelzer joins Therme Group as chief entertainment officer
Rainer Maelzer, an experiential entertainment innovator, has been appointed chief entertainment officer by Therme Group.
Movie Park Germany reveals new Paramount attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK. 
Efteling expands family offer with new Hooghmoed drop tower
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
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David & Lynn Willrich started the Company over thirty years ago, from the Audio Visual Department [more...]
Alterface

Alterface’s Creative Division team is seasoned in concept and ride development, as well as storyte [more...]
IAAPA EMEA

IAAPA Expo Europe was established in 2006 and has grown to the largest international conference and [more...]
Painting With Light

By combining lighting, video, scenic and architectural elements, sound and special effects we tell s [more...]
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Iconic Liverpool attraction opens door to new operators
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its next phase. [more...]
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

09-11 Jun 2026

World Sauna Forum 2026

Savutuvan Apaja, Haapaniemi, Finland
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ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

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Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

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