Race Furniture, market leaders in the design and manufacture of auditoria and theatre seating, has just completed a contract worth in excess of £100k to provide seating for Durham's Millennium Hall.

Opened for the first time at the Inaugural Gala just before Christmas, the auditorium brings to Durham the ability to host theatre and music on a scale previously unavailable in the historic city.

The Millennium Hall is part of a multi-million pound Millennium project in Durham awarded to architects MacCormac Jamieson Prichard.

Race created over 600 chairs based on a pedestal design with central circular bases linking at the armrest. The bespoke design proposed by the company also incorporated hidden seat and back fixings giving it a competitive edge over similar products during the selection process. Upholstery was selected to be in synergy with the seat style and while sumptuous in appearance does not confuse luxury with a look of domesticity.

The accessibility of the design was in keeping with the brief for the whole of the project which was to create a multi-purpose community resource. The Hall is complemented by a piazza area and visitor centre and is part of the regeneration of derelict and unused land close to the city centre.

"We were involved with the proposal for the design from a very early stage in the project allowing us to work in partnership with the architects to fulfil the contract requirements," explained Ian Coates. "This approach and our subsequent successful designs have enabled us to maintain our reputation as a preferred supplier of seating to theatres and regional conference centres."