From engineering the statue of Engels to enable him to take his place on First Street, through to ensuring the much loved Mayfield Depot was ready for Massive Attack, these are just two examples of some of the engineering work we’ve done to support past Manchester International Festivals. For years we have enabled, supported and led artists with their installations and structures. We have helped launch and transform cultural spaces, breathing life into much loved but threadbare and broken buildings. Yes, we’re corporate supporters of the Festival but we’re much more than that. We lend our engineering skills, our ‘art’, to this artist-led festival that seeks to push the boundaries, challenge convention and put Manchester on the international stage.

As MIF2019 gets underway this week, once again we are proud to have supported the team technically and creatively with the engineering of three productions; Invisible Cities at Mayfield Depot, ‘Tuesday,’ at St Augustine’s Church in Pendlebury and Parliament of Ghosts at The Whitworth. Some may find it unusual that structural engineers have such a role to play with the arts but our role is crucial, and each production presents a different challenge from an engineering perspective. They range from helping to enable an artist’s installations within a gallery, to ensuring a Grade I listed venue is structurally sound. The projects we work on with the Festival provide fantastic experience for our engineers and we love them. What’s more they reinforce the values that are the foundation of our Practice. They require true collaboration with all the teams involved and a real sense of curiosity and helpfulness –  listening and understanding to help the artists achieve their aim, whilst identifying some of the constraints a building or structure may present and proposing solutions.

As engineers we talk about wanting to ensure our projects bring economic, social and environmental benefits to the areas where we work and enable people to lead happier and healthier lives. There is no doubting the contribution Manchester International Festival brings to the social, economic and cultural vitality of our city and the joy and enrichment it brings. It’s a perfect fit with everything Civic Engineers is about and it celebrates the ‘art’ of engineering too. We’re proud to be playing our part and are looking forward to a fantastic two weeks.

Enjoy the Festival