Job search
Job Search
Latest news
More news: (showing 1 - 20 of 13981)           
UK only International

Rem Koolhaas' cultural hub for Manchester wins planning approval

By Kim Megson    01 Dec 2016
Factory is OMA's first major public project in the UK / Factory Manchester

Factory, the flagship arts building for the north of England designed by Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), has been granted planning approval by Manchester City Council.

Construction will begin in Q1 2017 on the large-scale venue, which has been designed to reflect the “extraordinary creative vision and breadth of Manchester’s cultural life”. Ellen van Loon and OMA founder Rem Koolhaas are leading the project.

The £110m (US$137.2m, €129.6m) 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 be operated by the Manchester International Festival (MIF), which will commission and host performances of theatre, music, dance, technology, film and TV. The 130,000sq ft (12,000sq m) structure will have room for 2,200 seats and 5,000 standing visitors.

The project's economic impact will be considerable, creating or supporting almost 1,500 full-time jobs and adding an estimated £1.1bn to the city’s economy over a decade. In time, it will form part of the city’s new 20 acre St. John's neighbourhood, which is being developed by Allied London in partnership with the council on the site of the former Granada TV Studios. Hotels, independent food and drink outlets, extensive public realm and open green spaces will also feature.

According to local publication Manchester Confidential, OMA’s design resembles in parts the work of surrealist architectural artist Filip Dujardin, who imagines concrete or industrial buildings introduced into unfamiliar contexts. The rear of Factory appears to feature cladding formed of a mixture of materials forming unconventional patterns – contrasting with the concrete and glass exterior at the front of the building.

“Much of my professional life has been spent undoing limitations of the traditional typologies," said van Loon, responding to the council's green light. "From classical opera and ballet to large scale performances and experimental productions, Factory in Manchester provides the perfect opportunity to create the ultimate versatile space in which art, theatre and music come together: a platform for a new cultural scene.”

Speaking last year, Koolhaas said: “It is wonderful to participate in the longstanding renaissance of this city, where real experimentation is expected.”

Factory will commission and host performances of theatre, music, dance, technology, film and TV / Factory Manchester
The project is intended to reignite Manchester's cultural scene / Factory Manchester
It will form part of the city’s new 20 acre St. John's neighbourhood on the site of the former Granada TV Studios / OMA
Rem Koolhaas has spoken about OMA's desire to create a 'radical' design / OMA
OMA founder Rem Koolhaas is working on the project / Factory Manchester
Rem Koolhaas  OMA  Manchester  Factory  UK 
Sign up for FREE ezines
Related news
Sports jobs

Swim Teacher

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Scarborough

Party Leader

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Scarborough

Group Exercise Instructor - Aqua

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Aldershot

Membership Advisor

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive salary plus commission & benefits
Location: Aldershot

Swim Teacher

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Bristol

Customer Service Advisor

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Gainsborough

Swim Teacher

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon

Activity and Wellbeing Instructor

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon

Operations Manager - Brentwood School Enterprises

Brentwood School Sports Centre
Salary: £32,000 - £34,000pa + pension + benefits
Location: Brentwood
recruiting with sports management

Fitness Manager

Everyone Active
Salary: Negiotable
Location: Crawley

Swim Teacher

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Fareham

GP Exercise Referral Instructor

Everyone Active
Salary: £33,000pa + benefits
Location: Harrow

Duty Manager

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Bedminster

Duty Manager

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon

Duty Manager

Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Location: Wythenshawe

Community Activator Coach Apprentice

Everyone Active
Salary: 16,686
Location: Stowmarket, Suffolk
recruiting with sports management
Swimming Teacher jobs  duty manager jobs  Team Leader jobs  Swim Manager jobs  general manager jobs  recreation assistant jobs 
More jobs

Company profile

Company profile: Life Fitness/Hammer Strength
Life Fitness, Hammer Strength, and ICG are global leaders in premium fitness solutions, trusted by hospitality operators worldwide to deliver consistent, high-quality guest experiences.
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

Cornerstone Connect helps Active Blackpool tackle health inequalities
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy.
View full details >
More featured suppliers

Property & Tenders

Location: Stratford, East London.
Company: Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Location: Y Felinheli, LL56 4QN
Company: Newmark
Location: Newhaven, Sussex
Company: EiA Real Estate
Location: Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire
Company: Savills
Location: Oxford
Company: University of Oxford
More properties & tenders

Diary dates

21-24 Sep 2026
The Langham Huntington Pasadena , Pasadena, United States
06-08 Oct 2026
Messe Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
22-22 Oct 2026
QEII Conference Centre, London
26-29 Oct 2027
Koelnmesse Exhibition Centre, Cologne, Germany
More diary dates