Latest News from the Factory

Welcome to the latest news from The Factory, the world-class cultural space currently being built in the heart of Manchester. The Factory will commission and present bold new work by the world’s most exciting artists – and will be the permanent, year-round home of Manchester International Festival, ‘one of the leading worldwide incubators for new, cutting-edge art’ (New York Times).

The Factory will strengthen Manchester’s reputation as an internationally important centre for culture and the creative industries, and as one of Europe’s most exciting visitor destinations. Backed by Manchester City Council, HM Government and Arts Council England, it will be proudly rooted in the city, bringing jobs, training and creative opportunities to the people of Manchester.

A BUILDING LIKE NO OTHER
The Factory is already making a big impact on the city skyline.  The Factory will be the first major public building in the UK to be designed by world-leading practice OMA, with Ellen van Loon as Lead Architect. Located next to the Science and Industry Museum in Allied London’s new St. John’s neighbourhood, formerly home to Granada Studios, The Factory will be at the heart of a major new national hub for the creative industries.

Pawel Paniczko, an award-winning architectural photographer based in Greater Manchester, has been tracking progress at the site for the last 18 months. His latest photographs show the view from the 1,600-capacity theatre-style space to the 5,000-capacity warehouse space, which will stage major events across every art form. For past and future images from the site, follow Pawel on Instagram, and read an interview with him here.
‘The Factory could be an icon for the city… The way that the building has been designed is so interesting – the flexibility, with all its different possible configurations – and next to the water, with sunset on the riverside… It will be a lovely place to be’
Pawel Paniczko

NEW SKILLS AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
We’re helping the people of Greater Manchester to start new careers
The Factory is already bringing jobs and training opportunities to Greater Manchester residents. September saw the launch of Factory Futures, a major programme designed to help young people who are unemployed and on Universal Credit to learn new skills through work experience, traineeships and paid internships. It’s the latest initiative from The Factory Academy, which MIF launched in 2018 to help people start new careers and diversify the workforce in the creative industries.

Factory Futures follows The Factory Academy’s successful first phase, when we teamed up with cultural partners to create skills and training opportunities for more than 60 young people – including five apprenticeships with HOME, The Lowry, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Factory Futures will create up to 1,400 training places – providing multiple entry points to jobs in the creative industries, an increasingly important part of the city’s economy, and reaching as many as 10,000 unemployed young people in Greater Manchester over the next five years through digital learning and engagement opportunities. And that’s on top of the wider benefits generated by The Factory, which will create up to 1,500 direct and indirect jobs for the region.

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