A pioneering project to build a home for the education of Digital Arts in Manchester has been launched.

Work has begun on the £35 million scheme which will see a School of Digital Arts built at Manchester Metropolitan University. The five-storey, 5,200m² SODA building will be located on Higher Chatham Street, adjacent to the Manchester School of Art in the Benzie Building.

When complete, the SODA will provide state-of-the-art lab spaces, workshops and professional networks, underpinned by a unique teaching and research environment to create, among others, the next generation of filmmakers, animators and games designers.

The project has been designed by FCBStudios and it will house a digital innovation and UX lab, film studios, green screens, edit suites, sound, music and production studios; alongside a screening room and gallery space, giving more than 1,000 students a year the chance to study disciplines that span animation, filmmaking, photography, UX and games design, AI and more.

A special event has been held to mark the beginning of construction on the project, with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Manchester Metropolitan Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press, representatives from Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GMLEP), Manchester City Council and the SODA architects Feilden Clegg Bradley (FCB) Studios and Kier all in attendance.

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Peter Commins, managing director at Kier Regional Building North West, said: "This hugely important project is a key part of Manchester Metropolitan University's Estates Masterplan and we are thrilled to mark the commencement of work on site.

"Throughout the build we will be engaging with the city of Manchester workforce to create 10 apprenticeship opportunities and we will also be creating 100 local jobs on this project. Upon completion, this state-of-the-art facility will bring creative, digital, technology and business assets together to house a number of subjects under one roof."

Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press added: "SODA combines Manchester Metropolitan's excellence in the arts with our expertise in technology. The creative and digital industries are growing, here in Manchester, nationally and internationally, creating urgent demand for new skills and knowledge. SODA will prepare our students to be the next generation of creative talent, ready to succeed in these new roles.

"It will give Manchester a unique centre, unmatched anywhere in the country in its scope and ambition. SODA will sit alongside our School of Art and Manchester Writing School, forming a world-class centre for creativity, working with industry to develop skills, nurture innovation and enhance economic success."

Construction work is expected to be complete in spring 2021, with the school prepared to welcome its first cohort of students later that year.

SODA is funded jointly by Manchester Metropolitan, GMCA and GMLEP, linking academic and research excellence with business and policy expertise to ensure that Greater Manchester, already the fastest growing UK tech hub outside London, becomes one of the world's most competitive digital cities. 

(CM/MH)