Jonathan Tuckey Design inserts a theatre at the Horris Hill School campus in Newbury, England, reserved for children between 4 and 13 years of age. David Brownlow Theatre enhances the complex by transforming an old car park into a cultural meeting place that becomes part of the educational programme.
The theatre has been installed on the west side of the campus, where a 1970s cabin was located. The project includes three spaces used to gather students and communities and animate the new structure: a 160-seat auditorium, a meeting place around the portico at the entrance – a tall wooden structure also used as billboard to announce theatre productions – and an outdoor amphitheatre, extension of the stage towards the woods.
Sustainable cross-laminated timber (CLT) was chosen for the construction of the theatre and left visible inside, while panels of Viroc, a material made of wood and cement particles, with a red hue reminiscent of local Victorian buildings, were used for the cladding. Inside, a dark blue corrugated ceiling panel brings sound from the stage to the auditorium.
- Project:
- David Brownlow Theatre
- Location:
- Newtown, Newbury, Berkshire, UK
- Program:
- Theatre
- Architects:
- Jonathan Tuckey Desig
- Design team:
- Jonathan Tuckey, Peter Youthed, Rob Leechmere, James Moore, Molly Wheeler, Matthew Farrer, Belen Salgado, Rohullah Kazemi, Waheed Kazemi
- Project architects:
- James Moore and Rob Leechmere
- Structural engineers:
- Webb Yates Engineers
- M&E:
- Skelly and Couch Ltd
- Theatre consultant:
- Charcoalblue
- QS:
- Marstan BDB LLP
- Contractor:
- Vale Southern Construction Ltd
- Joinery:
- Peak Carpentry
- Competition organiser:
- RedBook Agency
- Construction value:
- £ 1.,42,790
- Project area (theatre, amphitheatre, colonnade, portico):
- 528 sqm
- Theatre internal area:
- 320 sqm
- Completion:
- 2020