Manchester Royal Infirmary – MediCinema
An underused lecture theatre converted into Manchester’s first fully accessible in-hospital cinema.
Project summary
Marcon Construction, working with Equans, converted an underused lecture theatre at Manchester Royal Infirmary into Manchester’s first fully accessible in-hospital cinema.
Developed with Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and MediCinema, the facility gives patients and families an opportunity to spend time together away from the ward while remaining safely within the hospital.
The challenge
The 50-seat auditorium had to recreate a commercial cinema experience while accommodating wheelchairs, hospital beds and essential medical equipment.
Delivery within an occupied acute-hospital campus required careful control of access, deliveries, noisy activities and construction interfaces, against a fixed, highly publicised opening date.
Our approach
The fit-out combined an authentic cinema identity with the safety, accessibility and operational requirements of an acute hospital. Interfaces with existing hospital systems were planned alongside the specialist installations so that the completed spaces could be commissioned as one coordinated facility.
The works were phased around operational requirements to protect patients, staff and visitors while maintaining access to surrounding hospital services.
Regular coordination between Equans, the design team, Marcon, the Trust, the Charity, MediCinema, end users and specialist contractors kept the interior design, specialist packages and hospital requirements aligned, and enabled the team to achieve the fixed opening date.
Outcome
Opened in June 2026 as Manchester’s first fully accessible in-hospital cinema, with four dedicated bed spaces within the 50-seat auditorium.
It supports more than 260 free screenings each year for patients and families, including tailored sessions for young people, people living with dementia, and patients receiving palliative or end-of-life care.
The cinema serves hospitals across the Trust’s Oxford Road Campus, including Manchester Royal Infirmary and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Reusing the lecture theatre retained existing building fabric, extended the useful life of the Trust’s estate and avoided the additional materials, waste and embodied carbon associated with constructing a separate facility.
On site and complete
Scope of works
- Structural adaptations and acoustic upgrades to the existing lecture theatre
- Specialist finishes, fixed seating and accessible wheelchair and bed positions
- Four dedicated bed spaces within the 50-seat auditorium
- The auditorium, projection office, lobby and entrance areas
- Audiovisual equipment, lighting, and mechanical, electrical and data services
Delivered inside a live acute hospital campus, against a fixed and publicised opening date, for patients who may be in hospital for weeks or months.
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