Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International
In the heart of Manchester lies the largest new UK arts location since the opening of Tate Modern. The stunning Aviva Studios comprises two main spaces capable of hosting a wide variety of arts and entertainment shows: a 1,603 seated or 2,000 standing capacity Hall and a 65l x 32w x 21h-metre, 5000-capacity Warehouse.
image courtesy: © Marco Cappelletti – courtesy of OMA and Factory International
Unusual Rigging approached Kinesys with a brief to provide the equipment for the studio’s “Global Control System” that would give them the infrastructure needed to host a wide variety of show types, and selected the epiQ console running TAIT’s iQ powered by Navigator™ automation software for control.
image courtesy: Tristram Kenton
Aside from the site-wide automation infrastructure, Kinesys supplied 19 Apex 500 hoists and drives, 19 DigiHoist Controllers, 124 LibraCELL load cells, two LibraPRO controllers, and 16 22kW Pulse drives with Revolution 2 flybar winches courtesy of Unusual Rigging.
As the project scope expanded, TAIT supplied and commissioned 18 additional Apex hoists as part of the venue’s opening production, “Free Your Mind”, and to deliver necessary on-site training.
The result is a multi-venue space that can be moulded to fit any artistic vision – a place where the only limit is the imagination of the creatives involved.
image courtesy: Tristram Kenton
Project Management and Rigging Equipment
Unusual Rigging
Automation Network Installation
Push the Button
Construction Partners
Laing O’Rourke
Theatre Consultants
Charcoalblue
Architect
OMA
Technical Architects
Ryder Architecture
Blog Hero image
image courtesy: © Marco Cappelletti – courtesy of OMA and Factory International
