Cultureplex
CULTUREPLEX is the brand-new Manchester offering from hospitality gurus Pablo Flack and David Waddington, who founded London’s Bistrotheque restaurant in 2004, as well as Hoi Polloi for Ace Hotel Shoreditch.
Brief
Clients Pablo and David hail from Huddersfield and rural Settle respectively, both northerners heavily influenced by Manchester’s legendary music and club scene as art students. They met in the 1990s at a service station, part of a secondary club scene as people travelled to and from venues from across the north, got chatting - and the rest is history. For their new Manchester project, 74 were instrumental in the conceptual stages, working closely with the client team to develop spatial strategies and the venue’s overall design direction.
Concept
Cultureplex is a vast, new, central all-day space to work, lounge and dine. It takes up most of the ground floor interior of the building and is filled with natural light from a glass covered atrium. Wood panelled walls and leather seating in muted tones of grey, tan and forest green give it the calm serenity of a (very cool) public library with the functionality of a public square.
“It’s not one thing. It’s friendly and comfortable. Find your space, flop down and we’ll bring you what you need. We could have 100 people in here at any time, all using the space for completely different reasons, but still working together.”