Aviva Studio’s design is led by Ellen van Loon of the world-leading practice Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). Like many Manchester firsts before now, it's their first major public building in the UK.

The design of the building is based around ultra-flexible spaces that adapt to host any kind of set up – allowing artists to make ambitious, never-seen-before work on a huge scale. And meaning that you can catch the best in new dance, theatre, music, visual arts and performances all year-round.

The 13,350 square metre building includes the Warehouse – a 21m high space with capacity for up to 5,000 people standing, which can also be divided by a movable, full-height acoustic wall. There’s also the Hall with a flexible stage which can house an audience of up to 1,600 seated or 2,000 standing, as well as other spaces to explore inside and out. The Warehouse and the Hall can also work together – allowing the stage to run deeper into the building.