HOME

Officially opened on 21 May 2015, and with a build cost of £25m, HOME is the base for the Greater Manchester Arts Centre, which was formed by the merger of Cornerhouse and The Library Theatre Company. It forms the cultural heart of the £500m First Street development, facing on to Tony Wilson Square with a hotel to one side and a carpark and office development to the other. Designed by Dutch architects Mechanoo, the building harks back to the former Cornerhouse, with its triangular shape and rounded corners. The glazed facade is partially clad with irregularly shaped metallic fins which draw apart from each other where the public spaces are located. This gives the building a varied, iridescent appearance. A red brick railway viaduct runs along the back of the building, and some of the listed arches have been incorporated into HOME. The front of house space has an urban feel, being constructed of concrete, wood, steel and glass. The foyer is light, spacious and open, with generous seating and bar areas. The ground floor bar includes an outdoor area with a cantilevered canopy. A staircase, covered in wooden fins, winds up the centre of the building to the cinemas, studio theatre and upper levels of the theatre. There is a slightly larger cafe/bar on the first floor. On the top floor is a general purpose space which can accommodate 80-100 people for meetings and events with an outside terrace. Staff are accommodated in a single open plan office on the ground floor. The 500 seat main theatre has been modelled on the Royal Court in London, but with an additional circle, meaning the audience is seated on three levels. An acoustically separated concrete box, its interior is painted black with wooden vertical battens on the walls and balcony fronts, contrasting with randomly coloured orange, lavender, yellow and red seats. Though intended to feel like a single space the 10m x 8.7m (with a 2.5m thrust) stage and the auditorium are distinct and separated by two wide lighting towers. HOME also has a 150 seat studio theatre, a 500m2 4m high gallery space, rehearsal space, five cinemas, digital production and broadcast facilities, and a bookshop. The building has achieved BREEAM Very Good with a natural ventilation system.