BAM: Cork events centre will go ahead
BAM chief executive Theo Cullinane confirmed that a detailed €400,000 internal design plan for the facility, earmarked for the former Beamish and Crawford site on South Main St, has been prepared by a team led by Populous and Charcoal Blue, global leaders in arena, stadia and event centre design. They have devised a series of complex engineering solutions to allow the proposed 6,000-seat venue to be one of the most flexible standalone venues in the world.
Following input from the venue operators, Live Nation, the designs show how the venue can be configured quickly in more than a dozen modes to host:
- Large music concerts, either fully-seated or with a mix of standing and seating, and in-the-round concerts;
- Large West End-style theatre shows with an orchestra pit;
- Tennis and basketball tournaments and boxing matches;
- Skating shows on a full-sized ice-rink;
- Banquets, seminars, and trade shows.
The plans show how seats can be deployed, reconfigured and stored, how acoustics and sight-lines can be maintained depending on the mode, and how sound, lighting, electrical, air-conditioning, and fire-safety systems can be installed or moved to suit each mode. Extra floor area to accommodate the modes, extra dressing rooms, and storage areas have also been added.
Reviews will take place over the next two to three weeks to resolve the outcome of this design process, with various budgetary constraints governing the project, which is set to get approximately €20m in state funding. This money was sanctioned in December 2014 after reports showed public funding was required to bridge a market failure gap to get the project off the ground.
Analysts said there is an economic case to justify the public investment: The venue will generate more than €17m for city businesses, together with more than €4.5m in tax revenues, and support up to 160 jobs.
However, it is more than two years since the funding was sanctioned, and next month marks the first anniversary of the sod turning on site by Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Apart from some demolition and archaeological work, there have been few public signs of progress, leading to mounting concern and criticism.
Mr Cullinane said he decided to speak out to allay public concerns.
“We remain fully committed to delivering an events centre to serve Cork and the region,” he said.
“We have spent over €6m of our own money to get to this stage, including design fees, planning costs, and site purchase.
“We want to build a quality venue, something iconic that the region can be proud of, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that this happens. We want to build a building of unique design, capable of catering for all event modes to ensure the sustainability of the venue’s business case.”
He said similar facilities are typically fully funded by the State, and cited developments in Leeds, Hull, Bristol, and Berlin, in which BAM has been involved.
He said, given the complexities of the design process and the funding mechanism for the Cork project, he hopes that a firm timeline, including a possible construction start date, can be established over the coming weeks.
He pointed out that the sod was turned on the regeneration of the Capitol Cinema site on the same day as the events centre ceremony, and that BAM has almost finished building on that site.
He also pointed out that BAM, established in Cork in 1958, has a proud track record of delivering major civil engineering and building projects in the city, including the award-winning One Albert Quay, Cork Airport’s terminal building, the Western Gateway building for UCC, while work is ongoing on the regeneration of the city’s district court complex on Anglesea St.
Cllr Mick Finn welcomed the update, but said public representatives need to be briefed too, as they seek to safeguard the €20m investment of public money.
Mr Cullinane said BAM is carrying the full risk of the project to date. “We are now on the cusp of achieving this goal with Live Nation, the top event-centre operator in the world,” he said.
