Royal Academy of Music Theatre & New Recital Hall

Interiors Winner 2018

Location: London
Architect: Ian Ritchie Architects Ltd
Client/Owner: Royal Academy of Music
Cost Consultant: Equals Consulting
Structural Engineer: WSP
Building Services: Atelier Ten
Acoustic Engineer: Arup
Stage Theatre Consultant: Fisher Dachs Associates
Lighting Consultant: Ulrike Brandi Licht
Heritage Consultant: Donald Insall Associates
Access Consultant: Centre for Accessible Environments
Fire Consultant: WSP Fire
Approved Inspector: Approved Inspector Services Ltd
Client Advisor: RISE
Main Contractor: Geoffrey Osborne Ltd
Joinery: James Johnson & Co. Ltd
Specialist Theatre Electrics & Lighting: Push The Button
Wood Supplier: Hardwood Sales Ltd, Brooks Bros Ltd, Lathams
Wood Species: North American cherry, European oak

Two exceptional performance spaces have been integrated within the Academy site. The 309-seat cherry-lined Susie Sainsbury Theatre now forms the heart of the Academy. Inspired by the curved shapes of string instruments, it has been acoustically refined to deliver excellent sound qualities. Each acoustic treatment has its own graded detailing to blend the sound in all directions. Above the Theatre, the 100-seat Angela Burgess Recital Hall provides 230m2 of additional space for student rehearsal, public performance and recording. The theatre is intimate and epic whereas the Recital Hall is tranquil, calming and visually cool. The Recital Hall is entirely lined in pale, lime-washed European oak. Woven into the design are structural elements reminiscent of string instruments. Through an aperture of finely tuned ‘strings’, an oak-lined oculus floods the space with daylight and provides a central focus.