The roundhouse, london nW1
Client norman Trust
Team John McAslan + Partners, Architect sKM Anthony hunt Associates, structural engineer
Buro happold, MeP engineer
Gardiner & Theobald, Cost
Consultant
Paul Gillieron, Acoustic engineer
Theatre Projects, Theatre Consultant
Anne Minors Performance,
Performance and seating Consultant
Tolent Construction, Main Contractor
Modus operandi, Art Consultant
Area 6,600 sqm
Value £30 million / € 42 million status 1997 – 2006
The Roundhouse was designed by Robert
Dockray and built in 1846 by George
Stephenson as a railway shed for the London and North Western Railway to turn and service locomotives. It became redundant after only eight years as the new longer engines required more space. During the following fifty years the
Roundhouse was turned into a gin warehouse for Gilbey’s Gin, after which the building was once again redundant until the 1960s when it became an alternative venue for rock concerts and experimental theatre. In 1983 the Roundhouse closed due to insufficient funding and remained so for ten years, during which various proposals where considered for it, including a scheme to house the RIBA’s drawing collection.
In 1996, the redundant building was purchased by the Norman Trust, led by philanthropist Torquil Norman. The trust’s intention was to transform the building into a performance and creative centre, and in late
1997 John McAslan + Partners was selected from a competitive interview to develop proposals for the building’s regeneration.
The scheme, which began on site in 2004 comprises the refurbishment of the former engine hall which has been transformed into a fully equipped performance space suitable for a diverse range of theatrical and music events. In addition to this, the remodelling has reinvented the vaulted undercrofts into a creative centre for young people, while the construction of a new curved wing provides a range of catering, hospitality and support facilities as well as a studio theatre connected to the original building by a three storey glazed gallery space.
The £30 million project has attracted significant funding from the Arts Council,
Heritage Lottery Fund, Norman Trust and private donors. Performances commenced on schedule in June 2006 and it was the selected venue for the 2006 RIBA Stirling Awards
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Awards
• Civic Trust Award, The Roundhouse, Winner
• Civic Trust Access Award, The Roundhouse,
Winner
• Europa Nostra Award for Cultural Heritage,
The Roundhouse, Medal Winner
• BCI Award, The Roundhouse, Shortlisted
• RIBA Award,The Roundhouse, Winner
• RIBA + English Heritage Special Award,
The Roundhouse, Winner
“John McAslan has done a wonderful design with great sympathy for the fact that we were working with a famous iron building. It is very beautiful and fit for its new use.”
Torquil Norman CBE, Chairman,
The Norman Trust, 2006
“John McAslan and Partners’ exemplary scheme for the roundhouse demonstrates what can be gained by seeing heritage as an asset. Careful refurbishment plus a striking new wing have helped secure the future of one of london’s most charismatic historic buildings. undoubtedly, this will be seen as one of london’s great successes.”
Paddy Pugh, Head of Advise and Grants,
English Heritage, 2006
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