Manchester Central Convention Centre

Stephenson Bell Architects, Sheppard Robson, Manchester, 2000

 

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The convention centre addresses a new public space 

Peter Cook/View (website)     Download Original

  • The convention centre addresses a new public space    
  • Convention Centre    
  • The upper foyer flooded with light    
  • The public entrance is at podium level    
  • The main auditorium is sufficiently comfortable and intimate to cushion the impact of the dreariest presentation    
  • The ‘purposefully plain’ multi-purpose hall has the dignity of a 1950s school hall    
  •     
  • Ground floor plan    
  • First floor plan    
  • North elevation    
  • East elevation    
  • Model    
  • Detail section steel and aluminium canopy    
  • Key Canopy roof-plan    

Conference center containing 800-seat auditorium, 1800m2 banqueting and exhibition hall, together with associated meeting rooms, foyers and back of house facilities

The main auditorium is relatively modest in scale, its form acoustically tailored to speech, not music. The other principal space in the building, a multi-purpose hall is ideal for exhibitions, large banquets and shows but not intended to compete with the existing larger hall formerly known as G-Mex, which is nearby.

The straightforward diagram of the building is completed by a linking tower containing plant, WCs, staircases and lifts.

Data

  • Begun: Jan 1999
  • Completed: Dec 2000
  • Floor area: 8,531m2
  • Sector: Arts and culture
  • Total cost: £21M
  • Procurement: JCT81
  • Address: Manchester Central Convention Centre, Petersfield, Manchester, M2 3GX , United Kingdom

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