Boban John
John Graham Construction is taking over ISG’s project to convert an Ikea store in Coventry into an arts centre.
ISG began mobilising on the £60m project in July 2024 but collapsed into administration two months later.
Because of the six month hiatus between ISG’s demise and Graham’s appointment as its replacement, completion has been pushed back from autumn this year to summer 2026.
Work for the scheme involves changing the use and purpose of the Ikea building through a major internal reconfiguration, including structural alterations throughout, mechanical and electrical services upgrade, and a full strip out of the 60,000 sqm accommodation.
The resulting seven-storey facility will become home to some of the UK’s greatest works of art and provide greater public access to Coventry’s own cultural and heritage collections, in addition to establishing new facilities for the storage and research of art collections.
The Ikea store in Coventry shut in 2020 and its leasehold was bought by the city council.
The project is being delivered for a collaboration between Coventry City Council, CV Life, Arts Council England, the British Council, and Coventry University, which will occupy two floors of the building.
The Arts Council Collection is one of the largest national collections of modern and contemporary British, with more than 8,000 works of art and reaches more than one million people each year. The British Council has chosen to relocate its national collection to Coventry. The holdings of the collection are British art of the 20th century onwards. CV Life will be relocating and consolidating its items in storage into the CCCG.
Coventry University will occupy floors five and six of the building, for research, innovation and enterprise work.
Cllr Naeem Akhtar, cabinet member for housing and communities at Coventry City Council, said: “We’re delighted that Graham is on board to complete the construction of this significant project. Despite unforeseen and challenging circumstances, Coventry City Council has moved swiftly to secure a new contractor to get the project back on track and within the approved budget, meaning no additional money is needed for the construction.
“Not only are we bringing high-profile national partners to the city, there’s also the potential to bring so much more to Coventry. We’ll have the ability to create opportunities for people in this sector and for residents here in our city with what will be an impressive cultural destination.”
Graham regional director Ronan Hughes added: ““The City Centre Cultural Gateway is an exciting scheme that will transform a former retail space into a world-class hub for arts and culture while providing long-term benefits for the local community, economy, and creative industries. We understand the importance of getting this project back on track and our priority is to deliver a new cultural destination that meets the needs of all partners and stakeholders.”
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