The Royal Opera House’s ‘Open Up’ project was designed to enhance the experience when entering the building for audiences, artists and guest companies and to allow the building to physically embody their core values of creativity, excellence and inclusivity.
The extensive works our engineers were involved in included refurbishment of the Linbury Theatre, Paul Hamlyn Hall and entrance area of the prestigious Grade I listed Royal Opera House, unifying 19th-century grandeur and 21st century class to provide improved audience and technical facilities for a world class mid-scale theatre and artistic laboratory for both The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera companies.
Our engineers were appointed to provide technical input and to coordinate the mechanical and electrical services within the project. Specifically, the team considered the best way to approach the complex task of modelling an existing building and providing valuable foresight of any potential installation issues.
A major challenge that our engineers faced was that they were working within a confined space of the Grade I listed building, where the works had to be completed to the highest of standards given the prestige of the location.
Modern theatre standards required that additional systems were implemented for audio visual and HVAC within spaces that had not originally been designed to accommodate them.
The task of designing these was increased in difficulty due to the highly architectural nature of the finishes within the building.
To overcome this challenge, our engineers produced detailed 3D Revit models in conjunction with the contractor and coordinated with the architecture team to ensure the works were installed to the highest standards.
These models allowed our engineers and the site installation team to work together and understand how the different elements would fit together intricately, to ensure the project progressed smoothly.
Credit for photography: Luke Hayes
David Beeny has been influential in supporting our employees on the importance of removing the stigma of mental health in the workplace and we were proud to be his first client.
We were delighted to be invited to the prestigious CIBSE Building Performance Awards by Ariston UK last night that showcased the best building performances across the globe.
Peter Rolton led a great panel discussion on the Invest Newcastle stand “Fostering Innovation Ecosystems to attract Investment” at MIPIM2024.