Sadler's Wells Theatre
Islington, London
Sadler's Wells Theatre appointed us as consultant architects to design the exterior and assist in planning the interior of the new building. We obtained the vital listed building and planning approvals, and were part of the team responsible for the successful application for lottery funds from the Arts Council.
English Heritage played an important role in a collaborative process, which contributed to the expression of a modern and accessible theatre for dance growing around the original auditorium structure.
The building envelope focuses on the relationship of the new foyer spaces to the reconstructed auditorium and stage which remain in their original locations. The perimeter walls are treated as simple planes, occasionally broken to reveal the projecting volumes of the meeting rooms and the fly tower.
A satisfyingly crafted brick box, elegantly trimmed by steel to present crisp triangular forms of metal and glass.Architects' Journal
The full-height glass entrance with the back projection screen is a great bit of theatre; when the place is really buzzing the energy of the foyer spills out onto the street.Maxwell Hutchinson, composer, broadcaster and architect in Architecture Today
Controlled, legible and urbane; a lesson in good manners from Nicholas Hare Architects.Architects' Journal
