British firm Haworth Tompkins has recently completed a $124 million refurbishment and expansion of the National Theatre in London’s South Bank. The renovation involved some reworking of the original building, designed in 1976 by Denys Lasdun, but largely focused on complementary additions, including the Clore Learning Center, the Dorfman Theatre, and the Max Rayne Centre.
The Max Rayne Centre, the new facility for the theater’s back-of-house scene shops and production offices, is a rectilinear structure covered with aluminum fins and a steel mesh. Large windows open the city to the building, something that the 1976 design purposefully omitted in an effort to maintain mystery. Though the new center matches Lasdun’s masonry with a matching gray palette, it maintains its own identity.
Along with creating new facilities, Haworth Tompkins worked toward opening the theater to the South Bank, an area that has grown considerably more popular since the ’70s. The main entrance has been remodeled to better connect with the riverside walkway, and a former service yard has been transformed into a public square with a bar, café, and restaurant.
“Denys Lasdun’s National Theatre is one of the great buildings of the 20th century,” said Haworth Tompkins in a statement. “We set out to build on Lasdun’s vision of public openness.”
For more information visit nationaltheatrerg.uk. *
