Located at the heart of Ulverston, The Coro has long played an important cultural role within the town. However, over time, physical barriers, inactive frontages and fragmented circulation had begun to disconnect the building from the everyday life unfolding around it.
We were asked to explore how The Coro could become more than a destination for occasional performances and events reimagining the building as an active civic space capable of supporting community life throughout the day.
Rather than approaching the project as a standalone refurbishment, we explored how the building could reconnect socially and spatially with the surrounding public realm. Existing circulation routes were reconsidered to create a more open and legible experience through the building, while entrances and thresholds were redesigned to feel more welcoming and accessible to the wider community.
Could the building feel less enclosed and more connected to the town around it?
A key part of the proposal focused on improving visual permeability and strengthening relationships between internal and external spaces. Public-facing areas were repositioned to activate the edges of the building, encouraging greater interaction between The Coro and the surrounding civic landscape.
Internally, we wanted to dissolve some of the rigid boundaries often associated with traditional performance venues. Flexible community spaces, informal gathering areas and integrated social environments were introduced to create a building capable of supporting both programmed events and everyday occupation.
Rather than treating circulation as purely functional, we approached movement through the building as part of the wider architectural experience creating moments of openness, visibility and connection throughout the proposal.
Open-plan social areas became important spatial anchors within the scheme, encouraging informal interaction and allowing the building to remain active beyond performance hours. Adaptable spaces were designed to support a wider range of uses across the day, enabling The Coro to function not only as a venue for performance, but also as a place for learning, gathering and everyday community activity.
The project ultimately explored how a civic building can become more embedded within the social life of the town around it.
More than a cultural venue, The Coro is reimagined as an open and adaptable piece of civic infrastructure – a building designed to support interaction, accessibility and public life long beyond the performance itself.
