Plans for Arts Centre Unveiled
The project known as PONTIO, will include a theatre with a capacity of between 450-550 seats, cinema space, a studio theatre, and an outdoor amphitheatre, all accompanied by exciting new social facilities including bars, dining and park areas in a ‘family-friendly’ environment.
The project known as PONTIO, will include a theatre with a capacity of between 450-550 seats, cinema space, a studio theatre, and an outdoor amphitheatre, all accompanied by exciting new social facilities including bars, dining and park areas in a ‘family-friendly’ environment.
The Centre's public performance spaces will become a major focus for Welsh culture, and will be designed to provide innovative and inspirational platforms for engaging new talent.
In addition, the ground-breaking development will establish a world-class centre for innovation in science, technology and the creative industries and will create an internationally significant Centre for learning and the performing arts. The new building will bring together arts and sciences and forge closer links with the Bangor community.
The PONTIO Project will also include a dynamic Innovation Hub, cutting-edge teaching and learning facilities and a new home for the University's Students' Union.
University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Fergus Lowe is leading the project:
“Backed by £15m of Welsh Assembly Government funding, the Centre will have an incredibly positive impact on the wider community in Bangor: Approximately 450 jobs will be created or safeguarded during the construction phase, and an additional 450 once the building is opened in 2012.
“It will play host to a wide variety of performances from spectacular theatre productions, film, circus, dance, rock and pop concerts to opera and much more.
"This is the project that will put Bangor on the map and will help to regenerate the city's urban heart. It will provide a Centre of such remarkable innovation and artistic excellence that it is sure to draw the attention of people from near and far, as well as providing new impetus to the growth of the north Wales economy," he said.
The Innovation Hub will help to equip young people with high level science and engineering skills. It will focus on quality skills that will generate new technologies for businesses in areas as diverse as digital technologies, environmental goods and services, bioscience, advanced software and visualisation amongst many others. It will also showcase and help to develop a range of world-class research on pressing socio-economic issues, particularly in the areas of health and protection of the environment.
Throughout the Centre, new teaching and social learning spaces will be created to provide high quality modern educational environments that will benefit students, promote community engagement, and help business. Along with teaching and innovation spaces, the Centre will have state-of-the-art digital showcase facilities to enable the display of work using the latest in digital technology.
Professor Lowe continued:
"This is a once in a generation chance for Bangor. We will create an internationally significant Centre for learning and the performing arts that will be a potent symbol of innovation and collaboration for the whole community."