Aviva Studios, a New Cultural Hub, Opens in Manchester
It’s becoming a trend. Cultural venues that not only forge community but also epitomize flexibility. The Perelman Performing Arts Center by Rex and Rockwell Group, which bowed late summer at the World Trade Center site in New York, is one, offering some 60 different configurations for theater, dance, and music. Aviva Studios, opened October 18 in Manchester, U.K., is another. The new home to Factory International, which presents year-round programming of events and original art by the likes of Yayoi Kusama, the 145,000-square-foot structure is by Office for Metropolitan Architecture, the firm’s first major public building in Britain. Conceived with adaptability in mind, Aviva is based around large, open spaces that can be constantly reconfigured, enabling artists to develop inventive, large-scale works. “The project allows audiences unexpected vistas of performers and to experience something different with every visit,” OMA partner and lead architect Ellen van Loon says. The spaces are contained inside an angular concrete and corrugated-steel facade that looks like a site-specific sculpture itself.

read more
Projects
7 Cultural Design Projects That Shine with Skill and Smarts
From an arts academy in Rome and a school outside New Delhi to a public library in New York, seven cultural projects shine with creative skills and smarts.
Projects
One Plus Partnership Adds Visual Intrigue to Cinesky Cinema in Shenzhen, China
One Plus Partnership wins an IIDA Award for Cinesky Cinema in Shenzhen, China, which features a floating cloud design element.
DesignWire
10 Questions With… Michael Kostow
Michael Kostow talks about the importance of behind-the-scenes spaces in theater design, and what’s next for his storied career.
recent stories
DesignWire
10 Questions With… Jonah Markowitz, Production Designer For HBO’s New Crime Thriller
Ride along with Jonah Markowitz to see how this production designer effortlessly builds immersive worlds for projects like HBO’s Duster.
DesignWire
Pierce Brosnan’s Enduring Passion Takes Shape In New Porcelain Series
See how James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan teams up with designer Stefanie Hering to produce a handcrafted collection of vases with proceeds going to charity.
DesignWire
Interior Design Hall of Fame Members: View by Year
From the past to the present, meet the celebrated names and trailblazers who have all been inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame.