Aviva Studios
Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International opened its doors in the autumn of 2023. Since then, audiences flocked to the world-class arts venue which has hosted shows from this acclaimed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s immersive exhibition of giant inflatable sculptures You, Me and The Balloons and iconic West African singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo.
This unique building, designed by world-leading practice Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), is based around large, open, ultra-flexible spaces that can be reconfigured to enable artistic work that can’t be made anywhere else in the world. Its cavernous 21m high warehouse (with a capacity of up to 5,000 people standing) can be divided from its hall (which can house an audience of up to 1,600 seated or 2,000 standing) by a full-height acoustic wall – or opened up into one huge space.
Economic benefits of Aviva Studios
Up to £1.1bn will be added to Manchester’s economy over 10 years through the operation of the venue through the jobs it creates and supports – estimated at more than 1,500 – and visitor spending. It is expected to attract up to 850,000 visitors a year – increasing to a million in MIF years.
Social value is already being delivered through the construction of the building, with 86% of spending so far with Greater Manchester businesses and 56% of labour being sourced from the city region with a number of new jobs and apprenticeships being created.
Creative industries are the fastest-growing sector in Manchester, making an annual contribution to the city’s economy of around £1.4bn. Aviva Studios will cement the city’s global reputation as a centre for the arts and strengthen the city’s creative ecosystem, acting as a major training centre for future generations of talent.
The emergence of the venue has already acted as an anchor to the development of the St John’s area where it stands at the heart of Enterprise City, a major new mixed use development of commercial, cultural, leisure, residential and cultural space. A significant new cluster of innovative city centre workspaces and content production studios are also being created.