Cube Gallery

The Cube Gallery stood on Portland Street in Manchester city centre. It formed part of the CUBE Centre for the Urban Built Environment. The gallery focused on architecture and the built environment. Exhibitions featured photography, architectural models and multimedia displays. A RIBA bookshop sold titles on architecture, planning and design. The University of Salford’s School of the Built Environment organised events there. Funding ended and the gallery closed in October 2013. The gallery offered regular exhibitions that changed over time. Visitors saw work by local architects and photographers. Models showed new buildings and urban plans across the region. The RIBA bookshop provided books on design and construction. Talks and workshops brought together professionals and students. It became a recognised space for debate on city development. Its programme reached audiences beyond the university. Inside, the gallery had a single large room for displays. The RIBA bookshop occupied a corner of the space. Light from tall windows fell on the models and photographs. Walls held panels explaining each exhibition’s theme. The atmosphere encouraged quiet study of the exhibits. After events, visitors often browsed the bookshop’s shelves. The room’s simplicity let the architecture itself remain the focus.