UPFRONT
AUDITORIA 2020 VOLUME ONE 9
Tim Ronalds Architects
BRADFORD LIVE
Bradford, UK
Opening: 2020/2021
Design: Aedas Arts Team
A theatre where acts including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones
once played closed its doors in 2000 and fell into disrepair.
But the Bradford Odeon is due to reopen as Bradford Live under
the operation of the NEC Group, which has made a 30-year
commitment to hosting around 200 events a year, including
British, Asian and international music acts, as well as comedy and
family entertainment. Central to this will be the renovation of the
auditorium and ballroom into a 4,000-capacity live events venue
and 750-capacity conference and banquet space respectively.
Interior demolition work – including the removal of three concrete
cinema screening rooms, with stud walls and a false ceiling
– has revealed original 1930s art deco features hidden for 40
years. These will be protected where possible. As well as the
renovation, an LED screen will be added between the front towers,
and an extension at the rear will enable professional catering.
THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
Guelph, Canada
Opening: Spring 2021
Design: Diamond Schmitt Architects
Construction began in October 2019 on a 45,000ft2 (4,181m2)
project at the University of Guelph – the renewal and expansion
of the College of Arts and the International Institute for Critical
Studies in Improvisation. A new 160-seat black box theatre will be
built in the courtyard. The ImprovLab will be a publicly accessible,
multi-use research environment, with the flexibility to enable a
range of seating configurations. Renovations will also involve
building a new main entrance, student spaces and music practice
rooms, as well as upgrades to address accessibility and acoustical
issues. Another part of the project will see the Luscombe Theatre
reconfigured and returned into a black-box performance space.
“Acoustically attenuated rooms for practice and performance are
complemented by an abundance of light-filled space that opens
and connects the building with the campus,” says Michael Treacy,
principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects.
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Heatherwick Studio/Olympia London
Diamond Schmitt Architects