London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre was opened to the public for the first time in 80 years following a mammoth €29.13m (£27m) restoration, lead by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. A substantial work to significant historic Grade II Listed building largely hidden.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios renovated these long-abandoned facilities, leaving its original surfaces visible in a state of ‘arrested decay’ acording the architect describes its approach to regeneration of the 19th-century Victorian theatre.
Alexandra Palace’s East Court and Theatre has reopened following the completion of a hugely ambitious, three-year Restoration Project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Haringey Council. Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios reinvigorates this spectacular building through the discreet integration of technical infrastructure, enables it to become a significant theatrical and cultural venue for London.

The architecture studio, winners of Stirling Prize, restored the Victorian Theatre and East Court, which opened in 1875 and once held audiences of 3,000 people. The BBC took over the Ally Pally in 1935, using it as a props store, but the building fell into disrepair following a fire in the 1980s which left chunks of it derelict. Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and consultant team were appointed to this project in January 2014 following a competitive OJEU process.

This “People’s Palace” was built on a monumental scale, and is twin of the West Wing’s Palm Court. The East Court was once a grand exhibition space, part of a wider experience of promenade and spectacle so beloved of the Victorian public. The 19th-century theatre it is a true ‘found space’, a miraculous survivor of decades of disuse and the disastrous fire in 1980 that destroyed much of the Palace.
 
“When we first arrived it was clear that what makes these spaces unique, especially the theatre, was evocative legibility of its past: its use as a theatre, then a cinema, as a prop store by the BBC and its subsequent abandonment, these could all be read in the fabric of the building. This created a space with a very powerful character.

In bringing it back to life we’ve done an enormous amount of work so the Theatre can support a diversity of uses and formats it could never accommodate before – but most of this work is behind the scenes, hidden from view. Above all, it felt important not to erase the character of the space, that tangible sense of perspective across its 140-year history. We’ve added another distinct layer to that story, but it’s one of many.”
Matt Somerville, Associate at FCBStudios
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Architects Arquitectos
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Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
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Collaborators Colaboradores
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Structural engineer.- Alan Baxter & Associates Environmental. M&E engineer.- Max Fordham Quantity Surveyor. Cost consultant.- Mott MacDonald. Project management.- AA Watson. Acoustic engineers.- Max Fordham. Access consultant.- All Clear Designs (Stage 1-3), FCBStudios (Stage 4-7). Lighting design.- Max Fordham. Ridge fire engineer.- Fire Surgery. Theatre design.- Charcoalblue. Quantity Surveyors.- Mott MacDonald. Surveyors.- John Burke Associates.
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Client Cliente
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Alexandra Park & Palace Charitable Trust
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General Contractor Contratista principal
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Willmott Dixon Construction
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Area Superficie
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5920.0 m²
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Dates Fechas
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2018
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Photography Fotografía
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Keith Armstrong, Richard Battye, Lloyd Winters
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Manufaturers Fabricantes
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Allgood, Armitage Shanks, Desso Hospitality Carpets, Gerriets, Valchromat
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Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios are an award-winning architectural practice with an international reputation for design quality, for pioneering environmental expertise and a progressive architectural approach.

Peter Clegg established the practice with Richard Feilden in 1978. Regarded as a key pioneer in environmental design, he has more than 30 years' experience in low energy architecture and is actively involved in research, design and education. Peter works primarily in the education and cultural sectors. He has led projects at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, London’s Southbank Centre, Brighton Dome and the development of the new Leventis gallery in Cyprus. He is Chair of the RIBA Awards Panel, the South West Design Review Panel, holds a professorship at Bath University, and in 2009 was made a Royal Designer for Industry.

Keith Bradley joined the practice in 1987, was made a Partner in 1995, and set up our London Studio in 1998. He has since led many of our award-winning projects, including the RIBA Stirling Prize for the Accordia Housing Project in Cambridge. His recent work has encompassed major urban regeneration schemes throughout the UK, together with public museums, galleries, and academic institutions, including university projects in London, Manchester and Belfast. Keith holds the honour of being Chair of the Design Council CABE Design Review Panel, is guest lecturer at various schools of architecture, and a regular speaker at national and international conferences.

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