Following the success of the Gainsborough Studios project, the Almeida Theatre commissioned Haworth Tompkins to design a second temporary venue in Kings Cross, London.
Temporary Theatre
Kings Cross, London |
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A derelict bus depot, scheduled for demolition, was leased for two years and converted to provide an auditorium of 550 seats and a more flexible space for up to 400 seats along with full front and back of house facilities. The industrial interiors are left raw with specific architectural objects (stairs, bar and WC facilities) placed into the spaces to adjust their proportions and establish a sense of arrival and anticipation. |
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A low plane of specially designed pendant lights and theatrical mirrors increase the intimacy of the bar and a long panel of back-lit yellow plastic sheet marks the entrance to the theatre down a narrow alleyway from the street. Materials are detailed and finished very directly to convey a provisional, unpolished atmosphere that chimes with the theatre’s surroundings. |
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The main auditorium exploits a wide, low space to create an unusual proscenium stage, used to great effect by stage designers and directors. The other space is more conventional and can be easily re-arranged for each show. |
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To achieve the necessary sound insulation, the roof and gables of the building were turfed in Sedum, a hardly cactus like plant, avoiding the need for mechanical fixings into the fragile existing roof. The resulting pitched roof garden, full of wild flowers in the centre of a busy urban block has become a local landmark.
From discovering the building to opening night, the entire project was completed in 17 weeks. |
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ALMEIDA AT KINGS CROSS
Client: Almeida Theatre
Value :£850,000
Completed: March 2001
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Sedum turf roofing
Painted steel
Reclaimed timber
Painted scaffold tube
Recycled theatre seats
Polycarbonate sheet
Mirror glass
Shuttering plywood
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