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 IImpression of the new Arts & Humanities building

Impression of the new Arts & Humanities building

Landmark Arts and Humanities Building granted planning permission

25 July 2017

It will house the new performance and rehearsal spaces for Manchester School of Theatre

Plans for Manchester Metropolitan University’s new flagship Arts and Humanities building have been given the green light by Manchester City Council.

The council’s Planning Committee approved plans for the landmark eight-storey development on the University’s All Saints Campus at a meeting last month.

The project is part of a £400m Estates Investment Programme to be rolled out over the next five to six years to ensure the University’s estate remains fit for purpose and to enhance its world-class campus in the heart of Manchester.

Built on the site of the old Mabel Tylecote Building, the 12,500 sqm Arts and Humanities building will provide an inspirational venue on the Oxford Road corridor for high-quality teaching by award-winning writers, artists and journalists, and further link Manchester Metropolitan University to the wider city through shared cultural projects.

It will house a new Poetry Library alongside the prestigious Manchester Writing School - led by Creative Director and Poet Laureate Dame Professor Carol Ann Duffy; a 180-seat auditorium for Manchester School of Theatre productions; an exciting new Multimedia Journalism programme with in-house TV and radio studios; and the University Language Centre.

As part of the thriving Faculty of Arts and Humanities, this new facility will support a growing need for training in the expanding creative and media industries in the region, as well as providing a unique cultural hub within Manchester Metropolitan University. It marks a £110m+ investment in Arts and Humanities provision, which will include an International Screen School.

The new Arts and Humanities building will be connected to the Grade-II listed Grosvenor Building, which hosts the Holden Gallery, and will provide space to exhibit items from the University’s vast Special Collections.

The listed portico to Grosvenor Square will be incorporated into the new building as a striking entrance design feature, and there will be a café, restaurant and bar and foyer for public exhibitions.

Professor Malcolm Press, Manchester Metropolitan University Vice-Chancellor, said: “Manchester Metropolitan University is proud to play a vital role at the heart of Manchester's vibrant arts and culture ecosystem. Our mission is to find and develop talent wherever it lies and produce the next generation of innovators for the expanding creative and media industries in this region and beyond. 

“Our new Arts and Humanities building will provide outstanding state-of-the-art facilities including theatre spaces, a Poetry Library and a new University Language Centre and be home to forward-looking and diverse mix of arts and humanities courses. In the future the building will also form part of a dynamic cultural quarter alongside our existing arts and humanities buildings and the new Screen School.”

“The co-location of these disciplines will offer exceptional opportunities for collaboration in teaching and research, particularly in relation to script writing for stage and performance of new work in the theatre. The design of the new building as a space of encounter on the Manchester knowledge corridor will enhance the City's cultural offer and build the University’s connections with the wider community.”

Find out more about the new building