The Metropolitan Arts Centre, usually referred to as the MAC, is an arts venue in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter and is home to all kinds of exhibitions, theatre performances, experimental works. The MAC is a cultural hub and a vital shared space in Belfast. Open 363 days per year, the MAC offers an eclectic programme of visual art, theatre, dance, family workshops and lots more. Since opening in 2012, some 1.5 million visitors have come through the doors of the MAC. Designed by Belfast-based architectural practice Hackett Hall McKnight, the MAC sits on a roughly trapezium-shaped site opposite St Anne's Cathedral. The building, completed in February 2012, consists of a number of intersecting brick volumes and a basalt tower topped with three stories of glazing. The project won a 2013 RIBA National Award and was awarded the 2014 Downes Medal by the Architectural Association of Ireland.
