Project Name: School of Digital Arts (SODA)
Location: Manchester Metropolitan University
Client: Kier Construction Northern
Landscape Architect: The Fairhurst Design Group Ltd
Products Used: Westminster Bench. Westminster Planter
Bailey Streetscene supply concrete seating and planter elements to the School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University.
The purpose-built 5,200m² school was delivered by Kier Construction and offers industry-informed courses and state-of-the-art spaces equipped with the latest technologies. SODA is an interdisciplinary school housing subjects that span film, animation, UX design, photography, games, AI and more.
Our involvement on the project was to provide robust and durable street furniture to the exterior of the facility - the Westminster products selected are a popular range of minimal concrete elements that can be seamlessly linked together to provide extended runs of seating and planters. The use of planters in a largely concrete and glass environment brings a host of benefits from sound reduction, climate cooling, water absorption and well as much-welcomed natural colour and home for insects.
The benches and planters also feature stainless steel skate deterrents to ensure longevity and maximise the use by the students
SODA officially opened in June 2022 by Oscar-winning Film Director Danny Boyle who stated “There must be a place where the digital storytellers can gather and can share their skills and their need for knowledge with each other. And it’s in Manchester, which of course is the city I owe everything to, and it’s also a place that produces brilliant, independent minds.” (Source https://ilovemanchester.com/danny-boyle-school-digital-arts-manchester)
SODA is a £35m investment into the next generation of creative content and provides a unique teaching and research environment that supports Manchester’s ambition to be a leading powerhouse of the UK’s digital economy.
