A topping out ceremony is taking place at midday at the landmark building. And the Evening Telegraph can today give readers a taste of the future with exclusive pictures from inside the construction site.

The Cube will provide a host of facilities including a 445-seater theatre, library, council one-stop shop and offices, a council chamber, marriage room, a terraced roof garden and bistro.

Corby Council's head of special projects Peter Griggs said: "This is a landmark building."

The library has a sloping floor to accommodate a series of book terraces and plenty of storage space.

Newly-married couples will be able to have their wedding pictures taken in the rooftop garden and the theatre will be one of only a handful in the UK with retractable seating.

May Cardwell has been involved with the Shape and Dance scheme with youngsters in Corby for about 40 years, and she hopes their main show, which has been performed in the Willows Arts Centre for decades, can be transferred to the Cube's new theatre.

Mrs Cardwell said: "I'm sure it will be an excellent facility.

"I hope we'll be able to perform our shows in there when it opens next year.

"For the next 12 months I've booked Brooke Weston City Technology College for our displays."

Guests at today's topping out ceremony will include Corby Council leader Pat Fawcett, MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire Phil Hope and chief executive of North Northants Development Company Simon Evans.

Representatives from the project architects Hawkins(Brown, as well as Chris Bond, managing director of principal contractor Galliford Try will also be in attendance.

Work on the construction of the £27m scheme began in February 2008 and is scheduled to be completed next year.