A Bauhaus for Dance. New Facility for the English National Ballet by Glenn Howells Architects
23/03/2020.
[London City Island - LON] UK
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA
Project description by Glenn Howells Architects.
A transformational project for English National Ballet (ENB) which sees the rehearsal, ENB School, and administration functions move from west to east London and into London City Island.
The new building significantly expands their current accommodation by providing eight new rehearsal spaces, one of which has full stage rigging facilities which can be used as a performance space in its own right. The facilities are also shared with the ENB School that has its own dedicated dressing and rehearsal spaces.
ENB has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1950 it is one of the UK’s leading arts organisations, and one of the foremost touring companies in Europe. The new home at London City Island will become the focal point for ballet in the capital and on the world stage.
“Our ambition is to be the most exciting and creative ballet company in the UK and the world, performing classical ballet to the highest standards, cherishing and refreshing the classical repertoire as well introducing new and innovative work.”
— Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director, English National Ballet
The design of the building opens up the activities of ENB to the public through the incorporation of large windows onto public spaces and through external performance spaces.
At London City Island, the ENB is wrapped by six colourful and eye catching GHA buildings. In contrast, the ENB stands as a translucent, lightweight structure where the masonry blocks appear to creak open to reveal a striking glimpse of the island core.
A transformational project for the English National Ballet (ENB) which brings state of the art cultural facilities to the heart of London City Island – a project we have been working on for the last five years with EcoWorld / Ballymore.
ENB Artistic Director, Tamara Rojo CBE, who led the design process said
“I truly believe that this is the best ballet centre in the world, which will transform the way ballet is created and open up the creative process to our audience.”
The translucent building was conceived as a workshop that allows ENB to practice, plan and develop productions. It provides seven rehearsal spaces, a new production studio with full height fly-tower and stage rigging, costume atelier workshop and state of the art rehabilitation suite and hydrotherapy pool.
The project is also home to the English National Ballet School and the layout of the building is designed to connect the two organisations for the first time – inspiring both current and future generations of dancers.
Since establishing Glenn Howells Architects 25 years ago, Glenn has built a strong reputation for designing innovative buildings and shaping areas of cities.
He has led the Practice, with studios in both Birmingham and London, to win numerous major design competitions, over 120 awards from industry organisations and built a portfolio of completed projects across a diverse range of building types. He has an overview of all aspects of the practice and regularly reviews all projects during design development and construction stages.
Glenn has been closely involved with shaping the future of some of Britain’s most complex and ambitious regeneration projects. The practice has provided masterplans that have prepared the way for billions of pounds worth of investment such as Paradise in the civic heart of Birmingham, the historic Chapel Street area of Salford and the Royal Wharf project in London Docklands. The Practice has recently worked on a vision for the entire Eastside of Birmingham, an area that’s set to be transformed by the arrival of the High Speed 2 rail link.
Outside of the practice, Glenn chairs the board of the Ikon Gallery and Warwick University’s Building Committee and sits on the advisory board of Birmingham Hippodrome and the West Midland’s regional architecture centre, MADE. Glenn continues to work closely with the RIBA and CABE where he was a member of the 2012 Olympic design review committee. In the academic field Glenn is an external examiner at Sheffield Hallam University and a lecturer at the Centre of Alternative Technology in Wales.
The partners of the practice are currently Glenn Howells, Davinder Bansal, Darren Barbier, Ben Round and Reinhold Schmaderer.