The project that shaped me: Liam Doyle, Jump Studios

The project: Co-op Live, Manchester

Despite many high-profile construction delays, Manchester’s groundbreaking Co-op Live – the UK’s largest-capacity indoor arena – opened earlier this year, designed by global design firm Populous. Alongside the building’s architecture, wayfinding and landscaping, various unique spaces inside the venue have been tailored specifically for music lovers by Populous’ interior design practice, Jump Studios – part of 41 bespoke bars, restaurants, lounges and club spaces. As part of our regular series on designers’ most formative spaces, Jump Studios’ senior principal Liam Doyle reflects on the immersive and collaborative project that initiated a new approach to his work and career.

The role

Our role was to develop the interior design and hospitality aspects of the project. We began by creating a language and narrative for the building, drawing inspiration from the atmosphere and experience of live music venues, and then crafting a Manchester-centric approach. Each space has its own narrative while remaining cohesive to the overall conceptual backbone. From there, we developed a series of experiences for all fans, regardless of ticket price – ensuring a heightened and elevated experience was one of the key drivers.

In the general admission spaces, we have created a variety of F&B options, including island bars, live cooking markets, grab-and-go stations, and more, all designed to provide choice and variety. In the premium spaces, we developed nine standalone products, each offering a unique point of view and its own USP.

The why

Much like when we worked on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Co-op Live project was an opportunity to set a new benchmark for its typology – and opportunities like that don’t come around very often. We were essentially presented with a blank canvas, albeit with an extremely ambitious and challenging brief from the client, OVG, to create spaces that had the intimate feeling of a smaller venue but on the scale of the UK’s biggest arena. The freedom this gave us as a design team was something I really enjoyed – it allowed us to push ourselves creatively and explore avenues we wouldn’t necessarily be able to pursue on every project.

The challenge

The project is really about the collaboration of disciplines and bringing everyone together, aligned to one vision. While this was challenging, it was even more rewarding to see the best of each discipline shine, resulting in a united and cohesive outcome.

The technical design was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought additional challenges regarding communication, coordination and ongoing design development. Despite these challenges, there is an immense sense of pride and admiration in seeing how everyone – from clients to the design team to the consultants – rose to the occasion.

Every part of this projects was a chance to collaborate – projects of this size and scale cannot be done alone or in a silo. It is important to have the best of the best around the table, we have been very fortunate to have an incredibly dedicated and talented consultant team.

The education

A large part of the brief involved redefining expectations; everything from the design principles, how technology could influence the customer experience and the overall approach to the design. What I have learned is to embrace change – design development and design constraints can create the most unique experiences. Question everything. If it has been done before, how can it be reimagined or reworked for tomorrow? Innovation is the key to great design.

jump-studios.com

Read more from The Project That Shaped Me series.