Has all the charisma of Chernobyl: Manchester's Aviva Studios reviewed

There is a (possibly apocryphal) story about William Morris, where he spends most of his time in Paris inside the Eiffel Tower’s restaurant because ‘that is the only place where you can’t see the damned thing’. Aviva Studios risks a similar fate. Designed by architects OMA as the permanent performance venue for the Manchester International Festival and headquarters for its organisers, Factory International, it’s been savaged by critics and citizens alike for its ugliness. But not unlike the Eiffel Tower, it is from within that one can really witness the spectacles it has in store.

‘We designed the building from the inside out,’ John McGrath, Factory International’s artistic director and chief executive, tells me, ‘and we wanted a building that could fit every single show we’ve ever done for the Festival.’ While a blank canvas sounds simple, a building flexible enough to accommodate anything from spoken-word performances to rock concerts – especially at the same time – is underwritten by feats of architecture and engineering.