#PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
Royal Opera House
An Open Up project receives planning approval.
Westminster City Council’s Planning Department has approved Stanton Williams’ scheme to ‘open up’ the Royal Opera House. The planning consent will allow the Royal Opera House to enhance their core values of creativity, excellence and inclusivity.
The design, which has been developed by Stanton Williams in collaboration with Arup, will make the physical entrances and street-level public spaces of the Royal Opera House more open and inviting to everyone, encouraging artists, audiences, as well as the general public to explore the building and engage with the artistic activities within.
Open Up will also make the Royal Opera House a must-see destination. Existing spaces, such as the Linbury Studio Theatre and Foyer will be transformed, a new terrace off the Paul Hamlyn Hall will be created and other spaces developed to make the creative, technical and education work of the Royal Opera House more visible.
Stanton Williams and Arup are both well known for their deep respect for heritage and appreciation of context and are therefore well positioned to deliver a Royal Opera House fit for the twenty first century.
The main auditorium remains untouched so that the performance schedule of The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera can operate as normal. Work is expected to commence towards the end of 2015 and should take two years to complete.