London, United Kingdom
The Perse School had an extensive program of music and drama activities that had, over time, outgrown its lecture theater and school hall.
At the same time, the school long had a vision for a Performing Arts Centre, an environment in which everyone, whether artist, scientist, or mathematician, could develop self-expression and fluency.
Designed by Haworth Tompkins, Perse School is establishing the new Performing Arts Centre, clearly established that it required a new building that functioned equally well for music and drama and provided a flexible performance space.
The project was recently awarded with a 2020 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The Performing Arts Centre is named after Peter Hall, who was a pupil at the school from 1941-1949. He went on to be the director of the National Theatre, an institution with which Haworth Tompkins has a long association.
In the new building, mechanical rostra allow the stage to be extended and the first two rows of seating to be replaced in a short space of time.
Alterations to the raked steel deck and seating area can create end on, concert, thrust, and in round formats.
A band pit can be created by lowering rows of steel deck to its lowest point.
Crucial to the success of the building has been ensuring that the acoustics work equally well for music and the spoken word.
Simple adaptations using drapes and an adjustable proscenium arch allow an efficient transformation between the two acoustic formats.
As well as the main auditorium, the Gallery Studio provides a smaller space that can be used for rehearsals, chamber concerts, and plays with a smaller cast.
With its own control box, stage lighting, and audiovisual facilities, the Studio functions independently to the main auditorium but can also be utilized as an extension to both the exhibition space and the foyer.
The Performing Arts Center features full backstage facilities, enabling students to experience all aspects of staging a production and build on the activities of its thriving technical theater company.
The stage engineering systems have been designed so that students can safely access technical areas, allowing students to develop their design and technical skills.
Motorized flying bars allow pupils to rig at stage level, and technical bridges enable pupils to rig and focus on the technical level.
The large Gallery Studio control room provides an ample teaching and learning space for technical theater before pupils graduate to the main auditorium control box.
The triple-height foyer with views over the court operates as a cafe for pupils and staff during the school day, and as an area for audiences to socialize and purchase refreshments during events.
The exhibition space in the foyer has allowed the school to host exhibitions from the Hayward Gallery and prominent artists as well as student works.
The 370-plus seat facility has many roles beyond a narrower definition of the performing arts; it plays host to drama, music, and performance poetry, but also debating, lectures and assemblies—crucial in a school environment where space is paramount.
The main auditorium, Gallery Studio, exhibition space, and foyer cafe have become the heart of the school and provide a social space for all students and staff regardless of the level of involvement in the performing arts.
Project: The Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre
Architects: Haworth Tompkins
General Contractor: RG Carter
Structural Engineers: Price & Myers
Consultants: Charcoalblue
Client: The Perse School
Photographers: Fred Howarth and Philip Vile
