The redevelopment of Maxwell hall for the University of Salford, will create a world-class music, conference and performance venue for both students and the wider community, while providing a landmark building along Salford Crescent and the A6 corridor. Flanagan Lawrence won the International Competition to design the redevelopment of the Hall in June 2019. Maxwell Hall is part of the ambitious £800m Salford Crescent Masterplan, jointly developed by the University of Salford and Salford City Council to outline the vision for a new city district in the heart of Salford. Maxwell Hall has a rich history and is one of the cultural centrepieces of the university campus. It has hosted a range of acts including Blondie, The Smiths, Pulp and The Charlatans, and the aspiration is to attract artists of a similar calibre in the future, re-establishing Salford as a key destination for live music in the UK. As the centrepiece of our campus and with its proximity to the A6, the Salford Crescent Masterplan has identified the need to retain and redevelop Maxwell Hall as a cultural and performance venue for both students and the general public, as well as creating new spaces for conferences, events, short courses and executive education.

The proposed scheme retains the existing auditorium, but radically changes the stage area, internal acoustic, staging flexibility and the upper balcony. Around the existing auditorium box, a new glazed foyer will wrap around opening up views to the university campus, Peel Park and the River Irwell. The redeveloped hall will provide an ideal venue for industry collaboration, mainly but not exclusively, in the cultural industries. It will also provide an opportunity for students to work hands-on in event management, hospitality, front-of-house, sales & marketing, and customer care, as well as a wealth of roles associated with the production and delivery of cultural events including sound production, set design, performance and broadcasting.