Commissioned by the ROH in 1995, this permanent theatre was to be occupied by them between 1997 and 2000 during the temporary closure of Covent Garden.
The siting, form and external architecture of this theatre have been influenced by the context of the world heritage site. History, gravitas, stone, the space and light qualities of the riverspace, the spectacular views, night-time illumination of the Tower and Tower Bridge, the park by the river and the tourists appropriation of the riverside park, have all contributed to our conceptual thinking.
The 2,350 seat auditorium provided for people with disabilities and its planning and design satisfies the needs of opera, ballet and lyric productions. The stage and proscenium opening is large enough to enable productions to come to London (e.g The Metropolitan NY). The back stage facilities included two full size rehearsal rooms to allow ROH to simultaneously have 5 productions available to perform in repertory. Additional facilities included ballet rehearsal/warm up studio and chorus rehearsal space.
The front of house facilities included public foyers and a community “periodical” café. The height of the auditorium, and hence its width, resulted from our desire to limit it’s height and to contain its bulk, without compromising operatic acoustics. The external volume of the building was conceived as a separate enclosure surrounding the auditorium. The building is flexible to suit future needs of theatre companies without affecting its architecture. Facing the spectacular views north across the Thames, is a colourless vertical double-glazed facade containing foyers at different levels, and an open air terrace under the roof. The crystalline quality of the low-iron glass sought to create a “jewel case” facing The Tower.
The main body of the building appears solid, composed of woven stainless steel retaining stones, cabled in a “quilted” manner, and punctuated by deep window openings formed by steel plate. The woven stainless steel is a metaphor upon mediaeval chain mail. The stone fill reflects the colour palette of the adjacent landmark structures and gives the building its sense of gravitas. Seen tangentially, these walls are metallic, yet when seen perpendicularly appear as stone. Through tangential lighting, these walls are transformed at night into a filagree of shimmering stainless steel. Behind the stone is the main acoustic and insulation layer, and these walls are completed by a 6mm folded steel plate inner wall - a metaphor upon the way we build in London adjacent to the Thames. There will be no visible plant or equipment on either the roof or walls of the building.
The very low construction cost, (£6,000/seat) fast build (16 months) and demountability challenged conventional thinking and opera house design. The Royal Fine Art Commission and English Heritage commended the design, and it was granted planning permission following a public inquiry.
The ROH Board subsequently decided not to proceed with the project