We can't wait to have people through the doors of Sunderland's major new Culture House venue

Leanne Littlewood is the director of Culture House, the new addition that’s been a real talking point in the city as it’s risen into the skyline in Keel Square over the past two years.

The opening was put back from its planned date in autumn last year, but it’s now full steam ahead for a late spring opening - with a date to be announced.

Fit out works are well underway with the many different elements within Culture House starting to take shape.

It promises to offer something for everyone, from little ones in the new children’s play space and teenagers wanting to do some 3D printing to remote workers and older people wanting to learn a new skill like podcasting.

As the new home for the City Library, which will relocate from one room in the Winter Gardens, it will house around 40,000 books - but there’s lots more to the new space.

“We have so many ways to tell stories in Culture House, whether that’s in one of our two exhibition spaces on the ground floor, our 360degree immersive gallery, our digital atrium, which is the first digital space you see when you walk into the building,” explained Leanne.

Breakdown of what’s in Culture House

*The Atrium - the main entrance which features a spiral staircase surrounded by large screens with digital murals.

*Immersion Gallery - a 360degree digital gallery.

*Media Studio - a green screen studio available for hire.

*Pocasting - podcasting studios available to book, which will also host workshops.

*Learning spaces - Learning and engagement studios.

*NGCA - Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art will relocate from National Glass Centre.

*City Library - the new home for Sunderland’s main library, as well as the local studies library.

*Gift shop - selling locally-inspired gifts and art.

*Inventors Lab - 3D printers, coding and robotic kits and more.

*The Den - a children’s creative play space.

*Blacks Corner - a ground floor cafe space serving quality artisan produce, including a cheese belt.

*Sky Garden - a sheltered outdoor space where you can enjoy a Blacks Corner coffee or for private hire.

*Event space - The Exchange is a performing space for everything from spoken word to gaming battles.

Leanne says Culture House is aiming to appeal to as many people as possible.

“There's something for everybody on the programme that we’ll deliver within the space,” she explained. “We want to reach out to everybody's different understanding of culture.

“So culture means lots of different things to different people. In my house, it’s all about football, whether I like it or not. In my mam and dad's house, it's about music.

“People engage with culture and see culture in lots of different ways. And so the programme that we deliver in here will be broad and vast.

“One of the challenges that we put back to our communities is that if you don't see anything you identify with, in terms of your culture, the things that bring your communities together, within our space, then come and talk to us because we want to make sure that there's something for everyone within Culture House.”

Culture House is funded by Sunderland City Council and also by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Government’s Future High Streets Fund .

The four-storey building stands on the site of the former group of buildings comprising The Corner Flag pub, the old Annabel's nightclub and Luciano's restaurant which were demolished to make way for the new development.

“It’s such a brilliant, immersive space,” said Cllr Michael Mordey, leader of Sunderland City Council. “It’s been deliberately designed as a space for all generations and it really does have something for everyone.

“It’s a library of the future, in that you don’t just come in and borrow a book, you can learn a new skill, new techniques, whether that’s podcasting or 3D printing. The most important thing is how inclusive this will be for people.”