Architects appointed for Contact revamp
ARCHTECTS Sheppard Robson have been appointed to help bring new life to Mancheser’s Contact Theatre.
Contact, a people’s arts organisation, has hired the firm to carry out a £6m remodelling of the venue’s existing building. This includes improving the visitor experience and its visibility from Oxford Road.
The brief includes improving “the capacity and flexibility of the performance and media spaces” and redesigning the public areas including box-office, bar, café, meeting spaces and young people’s project areas.
It also includes overhauling the ‘back of house’ spaces, including office, training and hire facilities and new-build elements to improve the overall capacity of the venue by around 300sq metres.
Arts Council of England has already earmarked £3.85m towards the development and Corridor Manchester partners, the University of Manchester and Bruntwood, have both committed significant in-kind support, including high-level development and project management advice and assistance.
Contact’s distinctive existing structure, designed by architects Alan Short and Associates and completed in 1999, will be fully retained.
James Jones, associate partner at Sheppard Robson, said: “The team’s ambitions are to significantly improve the experiences of visitors, performers and staff whilst also looking at how Contact can make the most of its setting along Corridor Manchester, which is quickly becoming the commercial, educational and cultural spine of the city.
“As a practice, we have been heavily involved in shaping the Corridor through recently completed projects such as Citylabs, Birley and the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons. We are delighted to be working on such a diverse range of projects that are having such an impact on this part of the city.”
Matt Fenton, artistic director and chief executive, of Contact, added: “We’re delighted about the appointment of Sheppard Robson to lead the process of transforming Contact’s building.
“The project will cement our role as the leading arts organisation nationally focussing on young creativity and leadership, as well as delivering a state of the art production facility for innovative new performances and digital projects, for audiences in Greater Manchester, nationally and online.”
