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Plymouth Theatre Royal

Ian Ritchie Architects, Plymouth , 2002

 

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Rehearsals happen in these pods, clad in phosphor bronze woven mesh, tied to the main building spine 

Ian ritchie (website)     Download Original

  • Rehearsals happen in these pods, clad in phosphor bronze woven mesh, tied to the main building spine    
  • Detachment of the rehearsal pods contributes to acoustic isolation    
  • One of the rehearsal volumes with a backstage feel    
  • Bronze detail    
  • Gabion detail    
  • Ground floor plan    
  • Mezzanine plan    
  • Section A-A    
  • East elevation    
  • Detail section through wall clad with bronze mesh    
  • Rainscreen cladding of phosphor bronze alloy mesh    

Expanded facilities for the dramatic arts, including four bronze-clad rehearsal ‘pods’, and a zinc-clad steel-frame building containing workshops, offices and classrooms on a prominent waterfront site

The layering of the building presents a montage of activities within. The pods which house the rehearsal spaces are wrapped in a woven wire cladding of phosphor bronze, designed to weather and evolve in the sea air. The cladding is fixed with stainless steel strips on cedar battens.

The two principle activities of manufacture and performance have a rotational symmetry around the communal activity route at mezzanine level.

The architectural concept has been developed around the idea of driftwood. A landscape strategy treats the site as a rock beach with veiled building volumes washed there by the tide.

Data

  • Begun: Feb 2001
  • Completed: Nov 2002
  • Floor area: 4,060m2
  • Sector: Arts and culture
  • Total cost: £5.8M
  • Funding: Arts Council of England/National Lottery/European Regeneration
  • Tender date: Nov 2000
  • Address: Royal Parade , Plymouth , PL1 2TR, United Kingdom

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