Warrington seeks architect for Pyramid overhaul
The grade two-listed Palmyra Square arts centre is to be upgraded and expanded under plans being led by the local council and Culture Warrington.
Warrington Council is looking to appoint an architect to take the scheme through RIBA stages three to seven. Strzala Architects carried out early-stage designs at RIBA stage one.
Plans for the 33,000 sq ft Pyramid Arts Centre – which will benefit from a share of the council’s £22m Town Deal award – include increasing its capacity from 220 to around 400, after a study on Warrington’s events spaces identified a gap in the market.
Read about the other Warrington projects set to benefit from the Town Deal funding.
The Audience Agency’s research found that Warrington “is missing an offering for 300-500 capacity spaces, particularly for music gigs, small theatre productions, dance and small comedy events”.
As well as increasing the venue’s capacity, Pyramid Arts Centre’s two performance spaces will be “transformed into high-quality technologically advanced venues for local and touring companies to perform”, according to the project brief drawn up by Charcoalblue Theatre Consultants.
Other elements of the redevelopment project included creating a new café, renovating the rehearsal spaces, and improving acoustics and lighting.
The project has a target completion date of summer 2024.
