Linedota Architects was awarded the commission for the refurbishment the former power station and art college in Loughborough to create a contemporary arts centre for the local community in 2021.
When the Art School of Loughborough University moved from its edge of town centre location onto the out-of-town university campus, the opportunity presented itself to repurpose the building to create a contemporary community arts and media centre. The project became known as the “Loughborough Generator”. Generator hall is one of the last remaining early 20th Century buildings which housed the original Loughborough Technical College, a building that embodies the town's history as one of the four key UK industrial training centres from WW1 onwards.
The name is a play on the fact that main hall within the building once housed a generator set from a WW1 German submarine. It was used to generate electricity for Loughborough College, the precursor to Loughborough University.
The new venue will be charged with generating ambition, interest, and cultural enterprise for the town. It also forms a crucial part of the town’s regeneration strategy.
For around 10 years the building has stood empty but in 2018, a strategy to bring the building into use was taking shape. In the scheme the impressive Generator Hall will be designed as a multi-functional media performance space. Original features such as the original Morris crane, made in Loughborough, will be retained and meticulously conserved. A consultant team was appointed in 2021 and phase 1 of the project commenced on site in early 2024.
The project enjoys support from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, The Town Deal Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund. The project is also generously supported by the local community through crowd funding initiatives.
With a tight budget, the proposed roof development will have to be abandoned and the side extension which will house start-up businesses, will begin once the stage 1 work is completed.
