Construction finalized on £2.4million Daimler Powerhouse artistic center in Coventry
In the heart of north Coventry, the Daimler Powerhouse building, a remnant of the city's rich industrial history, has been transformed into a £2.4m creative hub. This transformation marks the first phase of a wider regeneration project on a seven-acre site at Sandy Lane.
The Daimler Powerhouse, the only remaining part of the Lawson's Daimler factory where the first Daimler car was built in 1897, will now provide a home for Imagineer's innovative education and training programs, aimed at nurturing young talents and those with disabilities. The creative hub will be run by Imagineer Productions and will offer spaces for outdoor and site-specific work.
The transformation of the Daimler Powerhouse was made possible through contributions from various sources. The Coventry City of Culture Trust, the Cultural Capital Investment Fund of Coventry city, and the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership's Growth Deal all played their part in the construction of the Daimler Powerhouse Creation Centre at Sandy Lane Business Park. Additional funding was raised from The Foyle Foundation, Medwell-Hyde, The Garfield Weston Foundation, and The May 29 1961 Charitable Trust.
The Wigley Group, a Midlands property, development, and construction company, completed the transformation of the building. The company also contributed an additional £350,000 and agreed a 20-year lease for the Daimler Powerhouse.
James Davies, Managing Director of The Wigley Group, expressed his excitement about the creative hub's potential to develop talents of artists and creatives beyond the UK City of Culture year. Cllr David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Coventry City Council, shared similar sentiments, expressing enthusiasm about the venue's potential impact on the city's art scene.
Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of Coventry City of Culture Trust, expressed her excitement about the new centre's potential for fostering artistic innovation in Coventry. Zamaurd Hussain, Board Director at the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), highlighted the project's alignment with the CWLEP's Strategic Reset Framework.
The interior of the creation centre will be completed over the coming months with state-of-the-art infrastructure, including a sound recording studio, edit suite, sprung dance floor, and vertical dance wall. The Daimler Powerhouse will host five resident companies: Imagineer, Highly Sprung, Media Mania, Open Theatre, and Talking Birds.
The Daimler Powerhouse will open to the public in August 2021 as part of Coventry's UK City of Culture Programme. A weekend of special events, performances, and opportunities to visit the building are planned upon its opening. The creative hub is set to become a beacon of artistic innovation and talent development in Coventry.
