Virtual Building Tour – English National Ballet by Glenn Howells Architects
Fiona Mckay
©Hufton+Crow
The 2021 series of the AIA UK Chapter’s “Virtual Building Tours” continued on 11 February with a visit to the English National Ballet (ENB), designed by Glenn Howells Architects (GHA) and opened in 2019. The public-facing cultural facility, located on London City Island, was conceived as an all-inclusive proposal where culture, city and human lives converge. Glenn Howells, the Principal Director, personally led the tour participants through a provocative tour of ENB’s new home.
The ENB won the AIA UK 2020 Excellence in Design Award for the Professional Design Practice for a Medium Size Project. The 93,000 square foot, state-of-the-art building provides the English National Ballet the space and facilities it needs to continue to develop world-class artists, create new works that push the boundaries of ballet and offer new jobs, skills and training opportunities for local communities. The new space has been crafted to welcome the local community, with views into the rehearsal studios, an accessible exhibition space and a public café.
In the words of GHA, “A transformational project for English National Ballet (ENB), wrapped in distinctive, translucent white cladding, the new centre for dance provides world-class studio, costume, medical and production facilities. These include seven full-sized rehearsal studios, dedicated engagement and learning spaces, as well as the English National Ballet School, which is accommodated on the top two floors. In addition, the building includes offices for over 200 ENB staff.”
©Hufton+Crow
At the start of the tour, Glenn Howell highlighted the concerns of Tamara Rojo, ENB’s Creative Director, when he was approached for the project. ENB’s home in west London had served its purpose well but did not provide the appropriate spatial requirements nor the dynamic atmosphere that a word-class cultural institute demanded. By the close of the tour, one could clearly see how the concept design overcame these inadequacies through the punctuated views into rehearsal studios, the variety of activities in the accessible exhibition space as well as the external space for events curated by the local community.
The ground floor of the centre features concrete columns and large, 15M long, double “T” concrete beams overhead, defining the multi-level circulation space. This space also provides flexibility as a public auditorium to accommodate the ENB's outreach programme and can be hired out as a private events space. The double “T” construction not only provides a technical solution to the long-span, rigid construction required by the dance studios but it also delivers an architectural opportunity to define the overall aesthetic of the feature spaces.
The skin of the building was highlighted as a “beacon” to the community. The ground floor is primarily wrapped in clear glazing to provide openness and a welcome to the community. The upper levels are wrapped in translucent cladding, alternating with elements of clear glass. GHA noted that the translucent white cladding combined with the clear elements is a deliberate design feature, contrasting with the colourful surrounding buildings and allowing passers-by to catch glimpses of the professional dancers as they rehearse. The overall design is a celebration of raw materials that is both paired-back and elegant.
The AIA UK Chapter continues to host its virtual building tour series for the 2021 season based on Winners of AIA UK 2020 Excellence in Design Awards. The series offers architects the opportunity to visit notable buildings that have particular design interests in the UK and abroad. Follow this link for further information to participate in the next tour of Cork House by CSK Architects with the Bartlett UCL on 11 March 2021.
Written by Gregory Fonseca, AIA
