Located in the suburb of St. John, Manchester, the idea of Factory International – which should have just been called The Factory, named after the famous Manchester record label – was conceived in 2014. Between delays and increasing costs – also because of Brexit – the genesis of the building designed by OMA, has taken longer than expected.

Of the 186 million needed to build this sort of twin of the Casa da Música in Oporto (inaugurated in 2005), 99 came from the government, 51 from the City Council of Manchester, 7 from the national lottery, and circa 5 from a private fundraiser. The missing 24 million will be obtained through a five-year commercial fundraising strategy.

The interdisciplinary programming will use the flexibility of the interior layout, and will also involve the external spaces of the building, with markets, events, and pop-ups. The inflatable sculptures exhibition “You, Me and the Balloons” by Yayoi Kusama will inaugurate the main space; and then, a few months later, the huge performance by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, inspired by Matrix, will be held.