Inside Manchester Arndale’s Urban Playground
At nearly 20,000 sq ft across two floors, Urban Playground offers customers a chance to compete in an attraction inspired by “The Cube”, play minigolf and sample burgers at The Butcher.
Urban Playground is backed by Mellors Group.
Architecture firm Baranowitz + Kronenberg designed the attraction, while The Momentum Group was the project manager and led the fit-out for the entertainment venue. Steven Hunt Associates were the mechanical and electrical engineers for the project.
The Cube Live officially opens on 10 February. Credit: via The Momentum Group
Chris Bliss, co-founder and director at The Momentum Group, discussed how the Urban Playground scheme made sense given the changing nature of retail.
“There is a recognition that the retail landscape is changing and the shift in the high street to meet the demand for leisure experiences and pursuits is increasing,” Bliss said.
“We are thrilled to have been appointed to deliver this project. It is the first concept with more to follow and we look forward to showcasing our services and partnership working with the team at Mellors Group.”
One of the key parts of Urban Playground is The Cube Live, which allows guests to see how they’d do on the famous ITV show by tackling seven different challenges. The Cube Live formally opens on 10 February.
Putters is the minigolf attraction at Urban Playground and offers three nine-hole courses.
Urban Playground will also mark the first UK location of the Netherlands-based franchise The Butcher.
Urban Playground also has a high-tech version of crazy golf to play. Credit: via The Momentum Group
Edward Mellors, director of The Mellors Group, said: “We’ve been looking for suitable sites for a long time with Box Property. After all the effort we’ve put in together it’s great to be launching the first Urban Playground site in Manchester Arndale.
“We are also in advanced discussions for further sites for 2022 and actively looking for locations across the UK and US over the next 5 years in a ground-breaking roll out to save our highstreets. A second venue of 130,000 sq. ft. has already been secured for development.”
Mellors is hoping to open more Urban Playground sites this year. Credit: via The Momentum Group
