Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
We provided heritage advice on behalf of the Southbank Centre for a multi-phased project to extensively refurbish the Royal Festival Hall.
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within the Southbank Centre that was the first post-war building to be given Grade I status. This designation recognised the Hall’s exceptional architectural and historic interest, as Britain’s first major public building to fully exploit Modernist architecture, and for the role it played in the Festival of Britain (1951). The South Bank’s transformation from a successful industrial quarter into the nationally significant cultural centre it is today was spearheaded by the creation of the Royal Festival Hall.
The multi-phased project - led by architects Allies and Morrison with The Planning Lab as planning consultants - will enhance the retail, restaurant and bar spaces within the building as well the internal circulation and environmental performance of the building. These works will prepare the Hall for the celebration of its 75th anniversary and enable it to engage with a new generation of audiences.
Phase 1 of the project involved several changes to Level 1a, Level 5 and Level 6 and the replacement of the bar within the Level 5 foyer. We also advised on proposals to insert new doors into the centre of the riverside terrace window, as well as the transformation of the east bar into a new kitchen. Following planning approval, we began work on Phase 2, which is ongoing and will consider further alterations to improve patron’s experience within the venue.
Client: Southbank Centre Architect: Allies and Morrison
Collaborators: The Planning Lab
Images courtesy of: Tony Hisgett , uploaded by oxyman, CC BY 2.0; Ungry Young Man from Vienna, Austria , CC BY 2.0; and Ethan Doyle White - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0