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The Royal Opera House

Thursday 4 April 2019

Rolfe Kentish words
Richard Bryant photos
The Architecture Club members

Some thirty members of the Architecture Club assembled outside the slender new bronze and glass doors to the new foyer. At 10 o’clock the doors opened, both for us and for the public, and we were welcome. This was the Royal Opera’s ‘Open Up’ project in action. The foyer, with terraces, restaurants and bars, is now open to all, every day from 10 am. While the event was billed as a ‘behind the scenes’ visit, and some expected such, this was far from it, being a deep tour of the new ‘front of house’.

Alex Beard CBE, chief executive of the Royal Opera since 2013, gave a brief introduction to the complexity of the £50.7 million (construction cost) project, noting that 996 opera and ballet performances, plus rehearsals took place, uninterrupted, during the build. Stanton Williams began design work in 2013, after an international competition. Alex spoke eloquently about the democratic brief, the clearly successful design process and the execution of the project. Like most public cultural institutions, the Opera House wished to appeal to wider audiences and to attract people into the urbane building during the day – not least to enjoy the revenue-earning restaurant, cafes and bars, foyers and terraces.

The Royal Opera House
Alan Stanton taking us through the main elements of the ‘Open Up’ design.

Alan Stanton then took us through the main elements of the ‘open up’ design. Fifty percent more space was created at the main foyer levels, providing better thoroughfare links with new improved entrances to Bow Street and to Covent Garden Piazza; the Linbury Theatre was made visible where previously it was buried underground; the amphitheatre bar, restaurant, the new Hamlyn terrace and the Piazza roof terrace expanded.

Alan, being characteristically modest, emphasised that we should not get distracted what he called the “technical feats” of the project, but focus on the on the accessible arrangement of spaces, lighting, material and tactile surfaces. The rich but calm pallet of materials, colours and textures chosen was appropriately chosen for an un-intimidating light and airy daytime setting, as much as for an evening performance. The neutral purple features as a strong colour, as in the National Theatre, as opposed to royal red plush, which is kept in the main house.

Alan and Tom Shell, Stanton Williams Project Associate led the group on a short tour, about a vertical axis, starting in the main foyer with its connection to the square, the shop, cloak rooms and bar; we descended to the Linbury Theatre via the generous daylit sweeping stair and landing, which doubled-up as an improvised stage.

The Royal Opera House
Tom Shell describing the “technical” background

At this point, Tom duly described the “technical” background, pointing to the large window onto Bow Street, made possible by the mammoth truss, and the deep excavation of the Linbury foyer and bar. In tune with the theatricality of the place, Stanton Williams had made the operatic choice of consistent American Black Walnut book-matched, crown-cut veneer and solid timber cladding – as opposed to their, typically restrained, quarter-sawn oak. Lightly mottled, white limestone from Alicante was used on the floors and walls. Ceilings were landscaped with coves and coffers – providing an armature for ambient lighting and sound absorption. Elegant wreathed walnut handrails, with sculptural bronze brackets, followed the stairs and ramps.

Access from the foyer to the Linbury had been dramatically improved with architectural ‘connective tissue’ of the enlarged, day-lit, foyer-landing. The Linbury Theatre itself had been transformed from a workaday black box studio into an intimate, balcony-fronted horseshoe, with Georgian proportions. The original walls and services were visible through the walnut wall lattice. The rake of the stalls was adjustable.

The Royal Opera House
The Linbury Theatre

Construction took three years, with completion in time for the autumn 2018 Ring cycle, which the author had the pleasure of attending and enjoying the use of the opened-up areas during each of the six intervals.

It remains to be seen if ‘Open Up’ will become a victim of its popular success, much like the South Bank, or the British Library, where Entrance Hall and Piazza have become a sea of tables and chairs for laptop workers, making use of free WiFi, and, on occasion, the cafes and bars. More seating may be required, which will need to be removed before audiences arrive for performances.

Rowena is to be thanked for organising such convivial and rewarding event.