Manchester’s landmark cultural space Aviva Studios, designed by OMA, has scooped a prestigious award as one of only four buildings in the region to be recognised with a 2025 RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) North West Award.
The award means the multi-purpose arts venue, also voted last year by TIME as one of the top 50 places to visit in the world – the only UK entry on the list – will now be considered by RIBA for a National Award later in the year.
Designed by international architects OMA, the building’s development was led by the city council with further backing from HM Government and Arts Council England.
The RIBA jury praised the success of the building’s architects in navigating the various constraints of the site, alongside the river Irwell and with a road bisecting the site. They said:
“Sandwiched between listed railway arches, the River Irwell, the Science and Industry Museum and a rash of new apartment blocks that form the regeneration of the former Granada TV Studios, this was not the most obvious of locations for a major arts building.”
Jury members were also particularly impressed with the ‘technical virtuosity’ demonstrated by the architects in resolving the conflicting requirements of the building that might at any one time see an orchestra performing in one space, alongside a nightclub in another, while ensuring total acoustic separation between the two events.
The RIBA award is not the first time Aviva Studios has been recognised for the uniqueness of the building and what it offers. Last year it was recognised by TIME as one of the world’s 50 greatest places to visit – the only UK entry on the list, sitting alongside places in Hawaii, Australia, Morocco, China, Chile, India and far beyond.
