Aviva Studios (fka The Factory) is located in Manchester’s new cultural St. John’s neighborhood. On the site that was formerly home to the Granada TV studio’s, Aviva Studios is a unique and flexible cultural and performing arts center in which art in all forms will have a place. Art can vary from exhibitions to performing arts to innovative modern installations. The building is run by Factory International that was already running a very successful biennial art festival in the city. The center of 13.500 m2 is able to compete with the creative scene of London. Level Acoustics & Vibration is involved as acoustic consultant since preliminary design in 2017 until the opening in 2023.
The special aspect of this building is that it has two coupled halls, which can be divided in different settings. The Theatre has a traditional fan-shaped lay-out, while the Warehouse has a rectangular shape. The stage of the Theatre flows over in the floor of the Warehouse. The Warehouse in essence is the stage tower of the theatre.
Productions can take place consecutively, but also simultaneously in the two halls by means of very good sound-insulating doors, which can be lowered between the two halls. The Warehouse can be split up even further in a small and a large hall, so that three activities can take place simultaneously, with a combined crowd of 6.500 visitors. Obviously, sound insulation between the halls is a strong focus point in the design of this building. The flexibility of the rooms also required well-thought-out room-acoustical solutions.
Attention is also paid to sound insulation between the building and its surroundings. The complex is being built on a monumental railway viaduct and hovers partly over a road, where cars and trucks will drive. Preventing road noise to enter the building is a major point of attention. For the residential towers at very close proximity in the neighborhood it is important to keep noise emission from the building to a minimum.
Images Copyright OMA/FI
The rectangular Warehouse is coupled to the fan-shaped Theatre
The acoustics in the Theater is controlled by sound absorbing wall and ceiling finishes
The Warehouse can be separated by double 20 meter tall operable walls
The walls and ceilings in the Warehouse are finished with very thick sound absorption for perfect dry acoustics
This picture taken across the water shows the close proximity of residential towers
Traffic can move under the building
